When I read Jeff Hampton’s previous Aransas novel, Aransas Morning, I immediately fell in love with the setting, the people, and the theme of never being too old to discover who you truly are. It wasn’t a shock, then, that I jumped to read and review the sequel, and I’m glad I did, because returning to Port A was like coming home to a place I’d visited once, but only ever lived in my dreams.
The themes are a bit stronger in this novel, as is appropriate for a story that spans the days before and after Hurricane Harvey. (One could argue that we are still living in the ‘after,’ just not quite so close). We see Dave and Shelley’s relationship progressing toward marriage, albeit one built entirely on their terms, while we also see our beloved salty fisherman Bo and his daughter accept and try to handle his aging, and specifically his increasing memory loss/dementia/Alzheimer’s issues. For me, this story line hit particularly close to home, because as a young woman I watched my grandmother become diminished in that way, and also because in the time since August 2017, we’ve bid a permanent farewell to both of my in-laws, my stepfather (really my only father-figure) and my last great-uncle.
Death and loss and changing positions in life are part of growing older, and seeing characters in novels go through these very human changes is both revealing of who they are, and of who we are, as readers.
And then there is Sam. In the first novel, Sam was very much the central character; the major story line was his own escape from a previous life in Dallas and his evolution into the person he is by the end of the story. In Aransas Evening, while Sam is still a pivotal player, he’s more catalyst than protagonist at times, or maybe this novel is just more coherent as an ensemble piece.
Overall, Aransas Evening is a treat of a book, full of characters – old and new – who feel real enough to jump off the pages and share a mug of coffee while sitting with our toes in the sand. It’s a portrait of a place I wish I could visit in person, and a place I want to revisit in fiction over and over again.
Review by Thats What She’s Reading
As a native of Corpus Christi, I am quite familiar with the Port Aransas area and this book immediately set a strong sense of place along the Texas coast that I call home. The entire time I was reading, I couldn’t shake the sensation that I been thrust back there again! The author beautifully and meticulously captured the setting in such incredible detail that I could feel the salty breeze blowing through my hair, the gritty sand between my toes, and hear the cawing of seagulls, the waves lapping, and the ferry’s metallic drone! His picturesque descriptions are utterly breathtaking and definitely enhance the mood of this intensely atmospheric story.
While the first book, ARANSAS MORNING, is the story of how a discordant group of individuals comes together to create the family they ultimately need, this book returns to their lives and delves deeper into those forged bonds. Each is tested again through some tragic or unfortunate circumstances, culminating with Hurricane Harvey’s arrival. I had anticipated the hurricane to drive the tension and plot; however, it crept in quite suddenly, as these things tend to do, near the end. Regardless, I thoroughly appreciated the author’s use of storms as a metaphor to place perspective throughout the story on their own unique and personal pain especially when a literal storm rages down on them. Ranking as the second most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland, it is a visceral reminder that such devastating storms are both terrifyingly life-quenching in the moment yet pregnant with possibility in the aftermath. In stark contrast to its violent and fierce nature, the hurricane brought out the nurturing and supporting force within this community to solidify friendship and love even in the most unlikely places.
I really appreciated how authentic, realistic, and quite contradictory this cast of characters was portrayed. They were all hardworking, friendly individuals who found themselves facing struggles like anyone else and picked themselves up using their healthy connections and relationships with one another to keep moving forward. None of them was perfect and they didn’t always make the best choices, but they continued to push themselves as well as each other towards redemption and happiness, and in the end, I believe that’s really all any of us can do.
As with much of island life, the pacing is much slower, strengthening that sleepy vibe of tourist centered locales. This heavily drawn character study is immersive, heartwarming, masterfully relatable, and delightfully engaging.
I know it’s only January, but I don’t think it’s too early for me to say that Aransas Evening is one of the best books I’ll read in 2019.
This is a story that I think most folks can relate to, not because they may live in Port Aransas, but because it has very lifelike characters. Jeff Hampton brings these characters into our minds with his writing, but they end up in our hearts – also by his writing.
I thought the storyline was interesting, and I was completely engaged throughout, but it’s not a whodunit or a horror story or even a love story. It’s a story about a group of people who live in Port Aransas. As readers, we are witnesses – for a short period of time – to the way these characters choose to live their lives. Aransas Evening is a story about a family of unrelated people.
What Makes Aransas Evening So Good?
There are so many things, in my opinion, that make this novel such a wonderful read. On the very top of that list is it was written by Jeff Hampton. Why is that so important? Because Jeff Hampton knows how to draw a reader into his fictional world!
Hampton continues to do an amazing job with his description. His writing style touches all of the senses. From the texture of sand squishing through toes to the music playing on the phonograph, Jeff describes it all.
The very first time a song is mentioned, Sam and another character are in Sam’s trailer near the beach. Sam puts a Miles Davis record on the phonograph and sets the needle down. On impulse, I had Alexa (my Amazon device) play that same song while I read the rest of that scene. I felt like I was instantly immersed into the story, transported to Sam’s trailer. Miles was playing the blues, and I could almost sense the saltiness in the air over the gulf.
With all of this other literary goodness going on, it’s still the characters that bring this story together. They are each flawed in different ways. However, they compliment each other perfectly. Where one is weak, another is strong. It’s almost like each character is a puzzle piece. Individually, he (or she) may not be interesting, but when put with the other characters, he’s perfect.
Technically Speaking
There were a few SPAG issues. When a story is this good, however, they don’t matter [to me].
The pacing is somewhat slow, but that’s really the way it is in Port Aransas. That’s part of the charm of the story. I think pacing like this is a perfect way to invite a reader into a story.
The character arcs are really wonderful. I didn’t really know where some of the characters were going, but by the time they got there, I wasn’t surprised. Each character changed in some unique way by the end of the story.
My only complaint about the story is it ended. I want more!
Aransas Evening is the sequel to Aransas Morning. If you’re interested, you can also read my review of that book. I highly recommend giving this story a read!
Review by The Love of a Bibliophile
This has been quite an interesting journey for a series. I say this because I did in fact read both books. I may have somehow read them backwards, but I read both. So here we go with a sort of backwards take of Jeff Hampton’s work.
Let’s start off with what very well could be the most enchanting aspect of “Aransas Evening”. The descriptions. Keep in mind that this is coming from someone who proudly called Port Aransas their home for several years. So when I say that Hampton perfectly captures the beauty, the smells, the people, and the overall feel of Port Aransas when he writes, I say it with all bit of conviction within me. Hampton captures the essence of everything relating to the island. Reading “Aransas Evening” before “Aransas Morning” probably was a more confusing route but it made me long for my hometown more.
Which brings me to my next point. Who can honestly pick up a series and start from book two without being immensely lost? Basically nobody. Well, amazingly, Hampton has done something not many authors accomplish without it being intended. While Aransas Evening isn’t in perfect clarity as a stand-alone, it draws the readers attention even more because everything seems to tie back together. Then by god’s amazing grace, stepping into Aransas Morning and seeing where our beloved characters came from?! If only you could have seen the look on my face as realization fully hit me. Hampton is a genius with words and I’m so thankfully he was the one to recreate the beautiful aspects of Port Aransas even during the disaster that was Hurricane Harvey.
My final remark, grab a copy of Jeff Hampton’s story of Port A. It’s a story of love, devestation, but most importantly, it’s about growth and refinding yourself. This series is one that will forever be on my TBR pile. A series that will forever be loved on my bookshelf.
Aransas Evening is a superbly written book about the family you have and the family you create. It’s a book that is similar to how real life is in many ways, for example, people come and go in your life and you don’t often know why they left. It’s a story about loss, unsureness, a tragedy in the wake of a bad-ass hurricane and most of all friendship.
Author Jeff Hampton set his story in the island town of Port Aransas. He captured perfect moments that show-off the community in such a way that it made it me actually start looking up real estate options on the island. I miss riding that ferry. I do miss the coast when it comes to the sand and the crashing waves – not the mosquitoes though. Thankfully, Jeff did not include the latter or I might’ve started itching.
In life so, many of us do have uncertainties regarding our futures given our pasts. Jeff’s well-written story weaves those insecurities into the daily lives of Sam, Allie, Shelly, and Dave with some minor characters in the mix. It’s what makes the story flow so well. It’s almost as if you are seeing a movie.
The best part is that given all the bad in the make-believe world of Aransas Evening it shows that goodness does still prevail and that friends who become family will always have the best interests for their friends.
An additional note – this book is a great example of a self-published book from the binding to the paper to the writing and to the editing.