Waiting for the Light to Change
A novel
Available for Kindle, paperback and audiobook.
AWARDS
Best of State: Best Novel of the Year
Whitney Award: Best Novel, General Fiction
League of Utah Writers: Best Published Fiction
Midwest Book Review: Top Pick for community library fiction collections
ABOUT
Sarah’s had difficult years before—what high school teacher hasn’t? —but this year is a disaster. Sarah’s managed as a single mother well enough, but she’s frequently exhausted and angry at the curves life has thrown her way. Shepherding her painfully shy daughter through high school as well as the return of her ex-husband, shakes Sarah’s fragile equilibrium. Additional trouble come through the classroom door as Sarah winds up in a disastrous war with two senior boys who are determined to undermine Sarah and dominate her debate team.
This is a story for anyone who has ever known heartache. It is also a story about the dedicated people who teach children. Annette has a clear, steady voice as she opens a window into the troubled world of adolescent angst and teachers trying to see into that world.
PRAISE
“It is a rare thing for a writer to write about a main character as flawed as the main character is in this book and yet keep her audience reading. I found this book fascinating and very real. I’m honestly shocked that this is Haws’s first novel. The writing is beautiful, the story compelling, and the main character is real enough to develop both sympathy on the part of the reader as well as my wanting to slap her. I look forward to Haws’s next book.”
- Josi Killpack, Good Reads
MEDIA
“This novel satisfies in several ways: first, it is set in a fictionalized version of Logan, Utah. The weather, the canyons, the entire setting feel familiar. For those who are tired of reading about jaded 16-year-olds, well, Annette Haws offers a wider variety of teen characters. Some are innocent and some are troubled, and some are scrutinized for no other reason than that their mom is single, and they live in a small town. Second, the main character, a schoolteacher, is prickly, and Haws does prickly well. The teacher has wise friends who try to help her. But can they make her see how unhinged she’s becoming? Can anyone intervene in time?”
-Susan Whitney
“There are a lot of raw anger and unresolved issues at play in this story. There are serious consequences for wrong choices that may have seemed justified at the time. This book is one where the reader can become emotionally involved without feeling their emotions are being manipulated. The author’s firsthand knowledge of teaching high school, students, and activities comes through to lend the story a realistic background. Some readers may feel this book is a little too edgy, but I found it realistic and honest without ever straying into vulgarity. The cover is boring, but that’s the only thing boring about this book.
“A Round-up of Autumn Reading”
-Jennie Hansen