The Book Reader: 'The Gloaming'

John Williams of the New York Times checks out Melanie Finn's "The Gloaming" in NY1's The Book Reader.

Melanie Finn’s deeply satisfying second novel, “The Gloaming,” is about a woman named Pilgrim Jones. Shortly after her husband abruptly leaves her for another woman, Pilgrim is involved in a terrible accident in the Swiss town where she lives. Though not legally responsible for the accident’s tragic results, she soon impulsively flees to South Africa - and later Tanzania - to escape reminders of her collapsed life. Finn is a remarkably confident and nuanced storyteller. She hops through time and between Switzerland and Africa in brief chapters, never losing the reader or her own footing along the way.

As the book progresses it turns into a thriller of sorts, as we realize that someone may be on Pilgrim’s trail. 

Finn was born in Kenya and lived there until she was 11, and has since traveled the world as a journalist. Her portrait of Africa feels subtle and lived-in, never false or hokey. She sees all her characters — a mix of gentle souls and more sinister forces — with equally clear eyes, and never denies the complexity of individuals or entire nations. This novel, published by the small press Two Dollar Radio, deserves major attention.