How the Light Gets In by Joyce Maynard

Joyce Maynard’s newest novel, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, is a sequel to her 2021 novel, COUNT THE WAYS, about a family divided by a tragic event.

 Eleanor is a children’s author and the mother of three adult children. Her oldest, Al, is a successful entrepreneur, her daughter Ursula has three children with Jake, who is a Proud Boys wannabe. Eleanor and Ursula have a strained relationship. Her youngest son, Toby, suffered a brain injury as a child when he nearly drowned. Maynard never intended to write a sequel, but many of her fans were hoping for a better ending for Eleanor.

In HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, Eleanor returns to her ex-husband’s farm to care for him as he is dying. Afterwards, she stays to look after Toby, who takes care of goats and has a small cheese making business. Though Toby may be slow of thinking he’s big of heart. Every stray – goat or child – finds belonging under his care.

Maynard covers a lot of ground in HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN: fractured families, parenting, traumatic brain injuries, school shootings, love in later life, and she doesn’t flinch when addressing the political climate of today … and yes, this is a novel, though it leans heavily into social commentary. Beautifully written, the characters are complex – provocative and annoying and loveable (especially Toby). This is a book that a writer earns, and as her twelfth book, Maynard has a lot to say. Maynard, a music fan, also includes many references to her favorite artists: Leonard Cohen (thus the title), John Prine, Warren Zevon, and Sinead O’Connor.

I listened to the audiobook version of HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, narrated by the author and found it a good companion on my daily walks. Fans of Joyce Maynard will enjoy returning to Eleanor’s story, and will be heartened by its message of forgiveness.