Review of Good Night Mr. Knight

[Timothy Rucinski]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Good Night Mr. Knight" by Allan Davis.]

---

5 out of 5 stars

---

Share This Review

---

I’ve read just about everything written by John Irving. I've wondered recently, "Who will take his place when his writing days are over?" After reading Goodnight, Mr. Knight, I believe it might be Allan Davis. Goodnight, Mr. Knight offers an array of quirky characters, a fantastic story, and a Canadian setting found in Mr. Irving's novels. It’s a fabulous book and one of the best novels I've read this year.

After experiencing horrendous conditions while living in multiple foster homes, orphans Owen and Martha come together under the protective roof of Peter, a kind-hearted taxi driver. Unknown to the children, they were fathered by Bishop Humphries, the spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic diocese. The cleric installs Sister Charlotte in Peter’s home to raise his illegitimate children, even as her health deteriorates from the advanced stages of Huntington's disease. Into this backdrop arrives Mr. Knight, “…a slight man with piercing blue eyes and thinning brown hair, dressed in a white suit with a white shirt and a black tie and black shoes…." Bishop Humphries hires him to keep Sister Charlotte medicated with an illegal African narcotic, ostensibly to relieve her pain.

There is an overriding cloud of doom that permeates Goodnight, Mr. Knight. The story is set against the background of the actual residential school scandal that rocked all of Canada, which involved the mysterious deaths of hundreds of children in foster care facilities run by the Catholic Church. Devout Roman Catholics will probably find this book uncomfortable as it is not very complimentary of the religion. Mr. Davis creates a secondary fictional scenario in which a colleague of Bishop Humphries, Father Eagleman, is accused of supplying illicit drugs to minors. Additionally, the reader is mercilessly presented with the horrors of child abuse right from the beginning of the book with Big Joe, one of Owen’s foster parents. Big Joe introduces himself to each new child in his care by smashing their toys with a hammer.

Nevertheless, even with such heavy goings-on, the novel is filled with substantial humor, mostly stemming from the children's antics. Mr. Davis portrays how a highly dysfunctional family can exist even against extreme odds when all the disparate pieces fit together. Owen is a child on the spectrum. He is exceptionally bright, somewhat shy, highly curious, and can make the best out of even the most hideous situations. Martha shows her mettle by becoming a hard-throwing pitcher on the local baseball team and becoming a surrogate mother not only for Owen but also for Peter and, at times, Sister Charlotte. Sister Charlotte is a good person, but as she is stoned most of the time, the children must fend for themselves. And yet, Sister Charlotte is not one-dimensional. Mr. Allen writes that the nun "…turned some things that were correct today into incorrect tomorrow so she would never run out of things to correct."

Peter’s house borders a cemetery and crematorium. The cemetery is the children’s playground, and the constant presence of tombstones and crematorium smoke accentuates the tenuousness of one's existence, especially given Sister Charlotte's declining health. As personified by Mr. Knight, death is forever present in the novel as an often invisible yet dominating character. It is mostly Charlotte who interacts with Mr. Knight, and they spend numerous conversations dwelling on philosophical and spiritual topics, including what Aristotle termed the “unmoved mover.” There is a lot going on beneath the surface story in this complex novel.

What I liked most about the book was the structure in which the story unfolds. Mr. Davis divides his novel between portions featuring Owen, Martha, or Sister Charlotte. The author unwinds the story through their individual eyes, activities, and voices. This structure is a terrific method to relay the characters' independent actions and subsequent consequences that lead to the story's inevitable conclusion.

There wasn't a thing about this book that I disliked. It is marvelous. It is professionally edited; I found only a single error. Fans of John Irving or anyone who enjoys a cast of quirky characters assembled to address serious, timely issues will enjoy this book. However, as mentioned before, practicing Roman Catholics may find the story disturbing, given the scandals cited and themes such as church-sanctioned distribution of drugs and assisted suicide. Nevertheless, being raised Catholic, I found Mr. Davis exceptionally insightful about the religion's positive and negative aspects.

I proudly offer Goodnight, Mr. Knight a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. This brilliant book deserves a huge readership. Mr. Davis is remarkably talented, and I look forward to reading more of his books. If they are as good as this, we are incredibly fortunate.

******
Good Night Mr. Knight
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Nemanja Jankovic]

The plot of the book seems very interesting. It is commendable that the book is well organized and professionally edited. I will put this book high on my list of reading priorities, all because of the very detailed review.