A Ring of Endless Light is one of my favorite Madeline L’Engle books. In this middle grade and young adult Newbery Honor book, the Austin family has returned to Seven Bay Island. Their grandfather is dying, and they’ve come to help. Vicky Austin is almost sixteen and is facing confusion over boys, her own role and purpose in the world, her artistic personality in a family of scientists, and questions about death and what it means to live. Her grandfather is a minister, but also a lover of poetry.
The Austin’s are a intelligent, loving family, and how they deal with the illness and eventual death of their grandfather is beautiful and humbling. The book is not only about death though. Vicky, who considers herself the ugly duckling of the family is being wooed by three young men, a wild gorgeous rich boy who courts death and danger, an old island childhood friend, and a biologist who works with dolphins.
Vicky is able to communicate telepathically in images with the dolphins. The scenes of her swimming with the dolphins are wonderful. She helps the biologist understand what the dolphins need, and she in turn is comforted by the dolphins when she is beyond despair. This is a complicated and sophisticated story, much more than a family story, much more than a growing up story, and much more than a love story. There is a decidedly Christian message to the book, but it isn’t presented in a manner that I found overbearing.
I recommend this book for young teenagers and for children have experienced the death of a family member. L’Engle’s own introduction explains one of the reasons I recommend this book, “Vicky’s questions and problems are questions and problems that most adolescents have had, whether in the Middle Ages, in distant countries, or right here and now. The big problems of our growing up are not limited by time, culture, or geography. We share our wonder and confusion: Who am I? Why am I here? Does it matter? Ultimately I hope we all answer with Vicky: Yes, it does. We do matter. What we do matters.”
Also See:
Families Forum on favorite children’s books