Dizzy Deans
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TYBEE BEACHCOMBER | JULY 2020 15
BOOK
REVIEW
By Nell Klein
The Sun Down Motel
By Simone St. James
I remember the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” but that is
exactly what I did when I saw The Sun Down Motel. As a child growing up in
Savannah, I spent many hours traveling to Florida on Highway 17 with my
family to visit relatives and to see the sights. We often spent a night in one
of the many small roadside motels, and I have many happy memories of
places I’ve stayed and people that we met along the way. I’ve always loved
traveling the back roads and seeing these old motels and wondering what
they looked like in their heyday and the stories they could tell. The cover
of this book beckoned me and I couldn’t resist, even though I had no idea
what it was about. I just knew that I had to read it and it certainly didn’t
disappoint. The story alternates between two main characters, Viv in 1982,
and Carly in 2017, and this is their story.
In 1982, 20-year-old Viv can’t do anything right, as far as her family
is concerned, so she decides to leave home and seek stardom in New
York City. Short on funds, she resorts to hitchhiking, but somehow, along
the way, she gets in the wrong car and ends up being dropped off on the
highway in small town Fell, NY. The only building for miles around is the
Sun Down Motel, so Viv goes inside to inquire about a room and ends up
with the job of night clerk starting at 11:00 that night. We soon find out
that after a couple of months on the job, Viv disappears without a trace, but
what leads up to her missing will take us awhile to find out.
Next, we have 20-year-old Carly in 2017, the niece of Viv, who won’t
rest (or finish college) until she solves the 35-year-old mystery of what
happened to her mother’s sister in 1982. So, Carly heads to Fell, NY to find
the answers. Carly starts at the Sun Down Motel (where they last knew Viv
to be) and, lo and behold, she ends up with the job of night clerk, same as
her aunt 35 years before. Small world, huh?
The motel hasn’t changed much in all those years, except the original
owners are dead and its being run by their disgruntled son who could care
less about the place. From the outside it looks about the same as it did 35
years before (with a bit of wear and tear), but absolutely nothing has been
upgraded in all that time.
There’s no wifi or cell phone reception and they still use a rotary phone,
along with a phone book (which Carly had never even seen before).
We soon discover that all of the excitement at the motel happens on the
night shift. There are very few customers, but the ones that do stay there
are up to no good, although they are alive. The others, well, let’s just say
that they’ve been there a long, long time (if you catch my drift). So, Carly
and a few friends from along the way, help her unravel the secrets of the
motel and the mystery of what happened to her aunt Viv so many years
before.
I give this book five roses. It’s creepy, unsettling, suspenseful and it will
draw you in hook, line and sinker from the first pages and won’t let go. I
loved it and I know you will too!
Until next time, read a book. If it’s a good read, pass it on!
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