Just After Midnight: A Novel

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of Pay It Forward comes an uplifting and poignant novel about friendship, trust, and facing your fears. No longer tolerating her husband's borderline abuse, Faith escapes to her parents' California beach house to plan her next move. She never dreamed her new chapter would involve befriending Sarah, a fourteen-year-old on the run from her father and reeling from her mother's sudden and suspicious death. While Sarah's grandmother scrambles to get custody, Faith is charged with spiriting the girl away on a journey that will restore her hope: Sarah implores Faith to take her to Falkner's Midnight Sun, the prized black mare that her father sold out from under her. Sarah shares an unbreakable bond with Midnight and can't bear to be apart from her. Throughout the sweltering summer, as they follow Midnight from show to show, Sarah comes to terms with what she witnessed on the terrible night her mother died. But the journey is far from over. Faith must learn the value of trusting her instincts-and realize that the key to her future, and Sarah's, is in her hands.

Catherine Ryan Hyde is the author of more than thirty published and forthcoming books. An avid hiker, traveler, equestrian, and amateur photographer, she has released her first book of photos, 365 Days of Gratitude: Photos from a Beautiful World. Her novel Pay It Forward was adapted into a major motion picture, chosen by the American Library Association for its Best Books for Young Adults list, and translated into more than twenty-three languages for distribution in over thirty countries. Both Becoming Chloe and Jumpstart the World were included on the ALA's Rainbow List, and Jumpstart the World was a finalist for two Lambda Literary Awards. Where We Belong won two Rainbow Awards in 2013, and The Language of Hoofbeats won a Rainbow Award in 2015. More than fifty of her short stories have been published in the Antioch Review, Michigan Quarterly Review, the Virginia Quarterly Review, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, and many other journals and in the anthologies Santa Barbara Stories and California Shorts and the bestselling anthology Dog Is My Co-Pilot. Her stories have been honored by the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and the Tobias Wolff Award and nominated for Best American Short Stories, the O'Henry Award, and the Pushcart Prize. Three have been cited in Best American Short Stories. She is founder and former president (2000-2009) of the Pay It Forward Foundation and still serves on its board of directors. As a professional public speaker, she has addressed the National Conference on Education, twice spoken at Cornell University, met with AmeriCorps members at the White House, and shared a dais with Bill Clinton. For more information and book club questions, please visit the author at www.catherineryanhyde.com.

"A heartwarming meditation on the transformative power of kindness and women's friendship." -Kirkus Reviews "Hyde (Pay it Forward, 2000) has written another fine novel... for horse fans...this will be like fresh oats in the morning." -Booklist "This is a must for fans of Hyde (Pay It Forward) and those who like a story with suspense and a happy ending, and horse lovers." -Library Journal "Catherine Ryan Hyde uses her consummate knowledge of humanity and the equestrian world to bring a moving story of faith, friendship, hope, and trust." -Writers & Readers Magazine "Tender, uplifting, and moving." -Novelgossip "A seasoned storyteller, Hyde writes with purpose and keeps the action coming. Her prose is filled with scenic accounts of the natural world, and touching descriptions of the horses...The outcome is a satisfying, moving story." -Woodbury Magazine "Hyde is a master at mining the emotional depths of her characters and bringing them out the other side." -New York Journal of Books