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Northern Lights
Northern Lights | Raymond Strom
1 post | 1 read
A stunning debut novel set in the late 1990s as an androgynous youth arrives in small-town Minnesota, searching for the mother who abandoned him as a child. On a clear morning in the summer of 1997, Shane Stephenson arrives in Holm, Minnesota, with only a few changes of clothes, an old Nintendo, and a few dollars to his name. Reeling from the death of his father, Shane wants to find the mother who abandoned him as an adolescenthoping to reconnect, but also to better understand himself. Against the backdrop of Minnesotas rugged wilderness, and a town littered with shuttered shops, graffiti, and crumbling infrastructure, Holm feels wild and dangerous. Holms residents, too, are wary of outsiders, and Shanes long blonde hair and androgynous looks draw attention from a violent and bigoted contingent in town, including the unhinged Sven Svenson. He is drawn in by a group of sympathetic friends in their teens and early twenties, all similarly lost and frequent drug users: the reckless, charming J and his girlfriend Mary; Jenny, a brilliant and beautiful artist who dreams of escaping Holm; and the mysterious loner Russell, with whom Shane, against his better judgment, feels a strange attraction. As Svens threats of violence escalate, Shane is forced to choose between his search for his mother, the first true friendships hes ever had, and a desire to leave both his past and present behind entirely. At its core, Northern Lights is the story of a son searching for his mother, and for a connection with her, dealing with issues of abandonment and forgiveness. But it also addresses the complications, tensions, and dysfunction that can exist in those relationships, presenting an unforgettable world and experience often overlooked, with a new kind of hero to admire.
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Northern Lights | Raymond Strom
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When Shane's father dies and his uncle throws him out, he travels to Minnesota to try to find his mother, with no information except a postcard from several years ago. In the small town of Holm he finds drugs, and violence - often against him because how his gender and sexuality are perceived (he hasn't really made decisions about his identity for himself.) It is a sad novel about what forms your identity when you don't have a home. #24in48

Cathythoughts 👍🏻♥️I have it stacked 5y
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