The Night Always Comes

A Novel

By: Willy Vlautin

Narrated by: Christine Lakin

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“Willy Vlautin is not known for happy endings, but there’s something here that defies the downward pull. In the end, Lynette is pure life force: fierce and canny and blazing through a city that no longer has space for her, and it’s all Portland’s loss.”—Portland Monthly Magazine

Award-winning author Willy Vlautin explores the impact of trickle-down greed and opportunism of gentrification on ordinary lives in this scorching novel that captures the plight of a young woman pushed to the edge as she fights to secure a stable future for herself and her family.

Barely thirty, Lynette is exhausted. Saddled with bad credit and juggling multiple jobs, some illegally, she’s been diligently working to buy the house she lives in with her mother and developmentally disabled brother Kenny. Portland’s housing prices have nearly quadrupled in fifteen years, and the owner is giving them a good deal. Lynette knows it’s their last best chance to own their own home—and obtain the security they’ve never had. While she has enough for the down payment, she needs her mother to cover the rest of the asking price. But a week before they’re set to sign the loan papers, her mother gets cold feet and reneges on her promise, pushing Lynette to her limits to find the money they need.

Set over two days and two nights, The Night Always Comes follows Lynette’s frantic search—an odyssey of hope and anguish that will bring her face to face with greedy rich men and ambitious hustlers, those benefiting and those left behind by a city in the throes of a transformative boom. As her desperation builds and her pleas for help go unanswered, Lynette makes a dangerous choice that sets her on a precarious, frenzied spiral. In trying to save her family’s future, she is plunged into the darkness of her past, and forced to confront the reality of her life.

A heart wrenching portrait of a woman hungry for security and a home in a rapidly changing city, The Night Always Comes raises the difficult questions we are often too afraid to ask ourselves: What is the price of gentrification, and how far are we really prepared to go to achieve the American Dream? Is the American dream even attainable for those living at the edges? Or for too many of us, is it only a hollow promise?

Lynette's desperation

the strength of both females is amazing. To stay afloat after everything they have been through..
Kenny! what a great guy...
He did the best he could

Here’s that small bit of hope

Again. The emotion I have to get through to find the little bit of hope, that connection to the characters that have suffered in so many ways. Getting through to something that is just slightly better in the end. I love the sorrow that is punctuated by the resilience of the main character. She is so strong and Willy is brave enough to let her face that trauma and find some justice in the messiness. Loved it.

Very Engaging Story

First, let me say that I think Mr. Vlautin is an excellent writer. What I mean is that he writes books that keep me interested. His dialogue is also very engaging. This is the second one of his books that I have read, the other being "The Horse."

Second, the man writes sober, melancholy and sad books. He writes them well. Most of us don't like to think about it, but much of our life is spent on the negative and challenging parts of the human existence. We should relish the moments of bliss, but realize that not everyone is enjoying those emotions.

The two books I have read by the author both have to do with depression, drug usage and (what I would characterize as) living on the margins of life. Someone needs to tell those stories and Willie Vlautin does it well. So be prepared to read an engaging, yet sad and sobering book. And hopefully, realize the need to be nice to somebody today, because everybody is having a tough time.

Not what I was Expecting

This book was not what I was expecting. It felt more real than anything I have read lately. It involved real problems with solutions people face a lot. I recommend.

Great read, so much emotional and life over 5 days. Loved it.

Great read, so much emotion and life over five days. Vlautin paints a picture of modern Portland that will bring tears to your eyes.