The end of summer

About this book

When twelve-year-old Nick Harper loses his father in an automobile accident, he enters a period of mourning that threatens to engulf him. His mother, badly injured in the crash, lies comatose in their home. Nick finds some comfort in long talks he has with her, and while he is not sure she can actually hear him, he pours out his heart to her anyway. An aunt, to whom Nick feels no real closeness, comes to live with them. He talks as well with friends from his rural neighborhood, including a nearby farmer, the postman, and a girl Nick's own age on whom he has a crush, hoping one of them can help him understand why this terrible thing has happened. And then there are the voices. In the Ohio countryside where he lives there is an ancient Indian burial ground, and there Nick hears the whispers of those long dead, calling out to him. And it is there as well, after a hard rainfall, that he discovers another voice, one that rises from the ground, speaking to him out of a puddle. The voice is wise...reassuring... comforting...and familiar - could it be his father's voice? Gradually, through his talks with the puddle, Nick is able to begin the healing process and shake loose from the grip of the overwhelming sadness that has taken so firm a hold on his spirit.