by Karen Hesse
First published 2020
A young boy accompanies his father to work each evening when the school custodian begins his night shift. While the city sleeps around them, father and son move through empty hallways and darkened rooms. The boy shoots baskets in the dimly lit gymnasium. He sweeps the auditorium stage while his dad listens to baseball games on the radio. They read stories together in the quiet library. Outside, lilacs perfume the night air and moonlight transforms the nearby highway into something beautiful. Shy nocturnal creatures emerge in the darkness. The work itself matters less than these shared hours. The boy discovers that nighttime brings its own magic when you have the right companion. What transforms ordinary janitorial duties into something wonderful is simply being together. This is a story about the love that grows in small moments between a father and son.
Genres: family, literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, lyrical
Tropes: found-family
32 pages · Paperback · Walker Books Ltd