Set in Michigan, The Last Sunset chronicles the unexpected and heartwarming journey of Steve Hadley, a restless, cantankerous college student who discovers new meaning for both life and love through friendship with an 83-year-old man. Told via insightful vignettes and anecdotes from both the old man's distant past and the young man's evolving present, the story seamlessly blends flashbacks and engaging narrative to form a compelling and provocative tale with surprising depth and many layers of meaning.
In no small literary feat, the author successfully merges one character's memories with another's current life. "Real time" events in the story evolve and coincide with the memories of the past, with the trajectory of both stories ultimately, leading to a similar destination.
Ordered to complete 1000 hours of community service for a college prank, Steve is "sentenced" to serving his time at the Pioneer Manor Nursing Home in Evergreen, Michigan, run by Nancy Hackett, the head nurse, and her husband Barton Hackett, the Executive Director. It immediately becomes clear that Steve's time at the nursing home will represent much more than he imagines, and that chance and destiny will be meeting at a surprising crossroads.
When Steve pulls into the nursing home in his white mustang, patient Moses Bailey notices the young man and is immediately, reminded of his of his own, distant youth, sailing and playing ice hockey in small-town Michigan. His fond reminiscing is, interrupted by a pretty, yet unassuming student nurse, Dawn McNally, the younger sister of Nurse Hackett.
Bailey's retrospection unfolds through detailed flashbacks, beginning with the summer of 1939, when the struggling artist becomes obsessed with Sarah, a striking, sophisticated woman interested in his paintings, but married to an older man. Enamored of the art and intrigued by the artist, Sarah sees in Moses everything she wishes she had in her own husband. The seeds of a problematic romance are, planted as Moses prepares for his first exhibit.
Steve's love interest with Dawn has auspicious beginnings. After he accidentally knocks her to the floor while entering Moses' room, Steve notices she limps, and believes he caused it. Dawn's past is, revealed as she remembers her childhood dreams of becoming a nurse, but beneath the dreams lies a murky, troubling childhood, which drives her simmering anger and hostility toward Steve.
The stories of Steve, Dawn and Moses unfold, as Dawn slowly warms up to Steve, and the flashback romance between Moses and Sarah takes shape, unfettered yet seemingly doomed by her unhappy marriage. As Moses deals with the guilt of loving another man's wife, Steve comes to understand the tension and anger in Dawn, the by-product of a troubled childhood and an abusive father, the man who caused her slight deformity and limp. As the love between Steve and Dawn grows, her own insecurities fade, and her confidence grows.
Events unfurl in rapid succession as Steve and Barton clash over his abuse of Dawn. As Steve and Dawn plan a "great escape" designed to fulfill Moses' wish to see a sunset on lake Michigan one last time before he dies, the heartbreak of long-ago unfulfilled love emerges as Moses and Sarah endure separation bonded by an unshakeable yet forbidden love.
As past and present converge, Steve and Dawn fulfill Moses' wish, and his last sunset coincides with his remembrances of the happiness of his ultimate reunion and marriage to Sarah. When Moses later dies, the young couple returns, to the beach to pay tribute to their friend.
More than a recounting of fictional characters and events, The Last Sunset delves into deep issues of love, redemption and forgiveness. The almost spiritual connection between circumstance and destiny is revealed as pieces of a larger "life puzzle" fall into place, and the young ultimately learn from the old, and
