Wait Until Twilight is a wonderfully well-written piece of fiction set against a realistic small-town backdrop. The characters are compelling and authentic, with interesting motives that make you want to continue reading even though you may be disturbed by the story.

"Powerfully affecting" is exactly how I would describe Wait Until Twilight. It was extremely hard for me to read parts of the book - not because of the language or anything, but because of the subject matter. Truthfully, I didn't know at times if I'd even finish reading it. I persevered and I'm glad I did, but I must warn you - Wait Until Twilight may be too disturbing for some readers. Without giving too much away, I will just say that there are some particularly unsettling scenes of child abuse and also of brutality towards animals that you should be aware of before picking up this book.

Wait Until Twilight is Sang Pak's debut novel, and he certainly did an amazing job of creating a creepy, skin crawling, freaky, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck-standing-up kind of feeling. I can't say that I really enjoyed reading it, but Wait Until Twilight is a dynamic and impressive first book. I will be interested to see what Sang Pak comes up with in his future novels. ( )

Sang Pak's debut novel, "Wait until Twilight," is probably the strangest coming-of-age novel I have ever experienced - and I have read dozens of them over the years. Pak's novel has a bit of the feel of Stephen King's famous coming-of-age novel, "Carrie," but the horror in "Wait until Twilight" has nothing to do with the supernatural. Instead, Pak's main character becomes obsessed with the existence of three terribly deformed triplets whose mother claims they were immaculately conceived.

Sixteen-year-old Samuel has had to do a lot of growing up in recent months. What was once a normal family of four is now down to just Samuel and his father because, after their mother's death, Samuel's brother left home to attend college. Samuel's father, grieving the loss of his wife, works longer hours than ever and Samuel finds himself alone much of the time.

Despite his good grades, Samuel is a bit of a rebel at his small-town-Georgia high school, and many of his friends have a similar attitude about school. Samuel, however, is more fortunate than most of his friends are because his teachers, aware of his home life, are willing to cut him some slack as long as his grades remain high. Samuel is happy enough to take advantage of the situation but things get complicated when, after struggling to come up with an idea for his class video project, he decides to verify and document the existence of the deformed triplets.

Samuel's first look at the triplets leaves him utterly horrified and repulsed by what he sees, yet he becomes so obsessed about the welfare of the babies that he cannot stay away from the old house where they live with their mother and a much older brother. It is his compulsion to see the babies again that ultimately exposes the shocking dark side of Samuel's own nature and, when he is caught snooping one time too many, lands him squarely in the path of a psychopath.

I will remember "Wait until Twilight" more for its mood and atmosphere than for its plot elements because, frankly, this is a creepy book, one filled with the kind of depravity seldom found in a serious coming-of-age novel. Samuel, despite the trauma of what he learns about himself, does a lot of growing during the course of Sang Pak's story but the book loses some of its potential impact as a result of its rather over-the-top ending. There is a lot to like about "Wait until Twilight," including its sympathetic main characters and its overall tone, but its less-than-satisfying ending overwhelms much of what precedes it.

Rated at: 3.0 ( )

Sixteen year old Samuel and his friend David are on a mission. Samuel has a project that he needs to do for school. David knows of a woman who has triplets...very unusual triplets. The plan is for David and Samuel to pay the woman a visit, and take some pictures of the babies.

"What's wrong with them?" I ask with a wavering voice.

"There's nothing WRONG with them. They're my babies. Joseph, Moses
and Noah. They're my miracles. There's nothing wrong with a miracle,
is there?"

Samuel is so shaken by the sight of the babies, he quietly walks around to the side of the house and loses his lunch.

And so that is how Samuel's summer begins. He is haunted by the sight of the triplets every day. He even goes back to the house on his own to see them again. On one of his trips, he encounters an older son that also lives in the home. Darryl. Darryl wants the triplets dead...and he wants Samuel to help him.

Samuel learns a lot that summer. He learns to defend himself. He realizes that he has felt guilty about the untimely death of his mother...and confesses this to a girl that he has strong feelings for. He grows a little closer to his older brother who has moved out of the house and is going to college. And finally, re-connects with his father, after the passing of his mother put up a wall between them.

Wait Until Twilight is a dark coming of age tale, with a light at the end of the tunnel. A very good read. ( )

Life hasn't been the same since Samuel's mother died a year ago. He and his dad share the house, but don't really communicate with one another. Brother Jim is away at college and doesn't answer phone calls or emails. All Samuel has is his schoolwork and his buddies. Then he decides to film a video project on the deformed triplets he has heard of. After seeing these strange babies he becomes obsessed, and soon learns that their adult brother wants them dead! Is Samuel man enough to save the babies and their mother? ( )