Simone St. James’ novel of murdered girls and cheap motels, The Sun Down Motel, is both a crime and a speculative thriller, similar to The Lovely Bones. The book is told from two perspectives across two time periods. In 1982, Vivian Delaney, or Viv, leaves home to make it big in New York City. She ends up in Fell, New York at the Sun Down Motel, a dive on the edge of town. Running low on money, she accepts a job as a night clerk and disappears in three months. Meanwhile, in 2017, Viv’s niece Carly Kirk, fascinated by Viv’s vanishing act, decides to travel to Fell to investigate Viv’s disappearance. Because other women were murdered in Fell, Carly assumes her aunt is dead. The town hardly looked into Viv’s case, so Carly is on a mission to solve it once and for all. Ironically, she decides to follow in her aunt’s footsteps and take a position at The Sun Down Motel as the night clerk.
This summary barely scratches the surface of what happens to Viv and Carly at the hotel and the vast, supporting characters included in their adventures. This book came as a recommendation of thrillers with unique settings, and the same article promised that the Sun Down was a captivating place to read about. The article was right. Author St. James’ scenes at the motel are effective, creepy, and the highlight of the book. The Sun Down sets apart this book from the standard investigating-a-crime or investigating-the-missing storyline.
Other narrative choices that work for The Sun Down Motel are the Viv chapters are written in third person while Cary is first person. This cues the reader to keep the narrative threads apart. Subplots abound, some are important and others, less so (similar to Hitchcock’s Rear Window.) Both Viv and Carly share a restlessness about their future, avoiding a traditional and safe path to success. Carly, however, has more of a goal in mind—in particular, solving Viv’s murder.
The Sun Down is an eerie place, and scenes in the dead of night really come alive on the page. Furthermore, some of the best scenes happen early in the novel. This is a great read for a dark night in autumn, when the novel is set. With two narratives, the reader is treated to two climaxes. This could have been a double treat, but Carly’s moment is circumvented and seems forced. In fact, after reading the end, one has to wonder if this was originally only Viv’s story and St. James added Carly later. The Viv ending is spectacular whereas Carly’s ending with its resolution of a flat antagonist off-page doesn’t provide the same kick.
Overall, Carly’s ending is a minor point. The rest of the novel sparks with thriller energy and an “I’m onto you” vibe. Go ahead and check into the The Sun Down Motel. They’ll leave a light on for you…for a while.