Award-winning author Paula Fox succeeds again with Radiance Descending, a novel about a boy struggling to ignore his brother who has Down's syndrome. Paul can spin mental circles around Jacob, and he's tired of the way his parents focus all of their attention on his younger brother just because Jacob has a problem. Jacob dawdles, laughs endlessly, messes up Paul's room, and has a pumpkinlike face. Most of all, Jacob embarrasses Paul. Disgusted by the way Jacob fawns over him and angry at the way he feels erased in his own family, Paul focuses all of his energy on ignoring Jacob. Slowly, though, Paul begins to wonder if, perhaps, not thinking about Jacob is only another way of thinking about him? Radiance Descending is an enchanting, deeply felt tale about family pain and the courage it takes to reach out into the unknown.
