In his fourth novel, Morrow invites the reader to imagine a scene of rural serenity, a night scene. Above the mountains surrounding this unnamed place, the stars are a menagerie of silver flickering motes. Beneath these stars is a solitary ranch, and a man and woman asleep inside. It would be hard to fathom a purer vision of people at peace in the natural world. But, based on the true story of events that happened to the author’s aunt and uncle, this tranquility would soon be brutally shattered by people who would become known as “the night visitors.”

 

When Grant, our narrator, hears of the campaign of malice being waged against his only living relatives, he abandons Rome and a crumbling marriage to do what he can to help them. His confidence is quickly eroded as the night visits escalate in violence, and the death of Giovanni Trentas, a dear family friend found mutilated in a gorge above the ranch, takes on new meaning. When his aunt presents him with Giovanni’s legacy—an old cigar box filled with letters, photos, and seemingly random knick-knacks—Grant finds himself in possession of a puzzle that might hold the answers to much more than Giovanni’s death. Grant’s unfolding passion for Giovanni’s daughter, Helen, forces him to choose between loyalty and love as the night terrors come to their revelatory end.

 

In this novel, one of his most autobiographical works of fiction, and an innovative retelling of the Pandora myth, Morrow explores the mysteries of identity and that elusive place called home.