Price: $28.00 - $19.00
(as of Mar 01, 2025 13:57:38 UTC – Details)
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From one of our most accomplished novelists, a mesmerizing story about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War—and a brilliant portrait of family endurance against all odds
“A tour de force.” —Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage
In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.
The omnipresent vagaries of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their story: their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the War and never returned. Meanwhile, in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. ConaLee pretends to be her mother’s maid; Eliza responds slowly to treatment. They get swept up in the life of the facility—the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.
Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, Night Watch is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Knopf; First Edition (September 19, 2023)
Language : English
Hardcover : 304 pages
ISBN-10 : 0451493338
ISBN-13 : 978-0451493330
Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
Dimensions : 6.52 x 1.05 x 9.53 inches
Customers say
Customers find the story compelling and interesting. They praise the writing style as poetic and amazing for its description. Readers appreciate the fascinating and believable characters. The book portrays human stamina and courage through hardship. However, some find the story difficult to follow and confusing at times.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
