Some Starry Night, Excerpt by Irene Latham

Under the pale glow of a Parisian spring in 1886, two restless souls move toward the same horizon-unaware that their meeting will ignite a love as luminous and fleeting as the stars themselves.

Vincent van Gogh arrives in Paris with little more than paint-stained hands and an aching determination to create something worthy of the world. Living in the cramped apartment of his brother Theo, he struggles against poverty, doubt, and the relentless pull of his own restless mind.

Across the ocean in Amherst, Emily Dickinson receives news that changes everything. Faced with the nearness of death, the reclusive poet does the unthinkable: she leaves the quiet safety of the Homestead and sails for Paris, determined to taste life before it slips beyond her reach.

When Emily agrees to sit for Vincent’s portrait, their worlds collide in a blaze of color, poetry, and dangerous intimacy. Through letters, poems, and whispered confessions, the two artists discover in one another a fierce, unguarded understanding-one that will shape their art, their faith, and the fragile hours they have left.

But love between stars is never simple. As time grows short and darkness gathers, Vincent and Emily must decide whether beauty is meant to last…or simply to burn bright enough to change the night forever.

Some Starry Night is a sweeping, lyrical imagining of the hidden story behind Vincent van Gogh’s most iconic painting-an unforgettable tale of love, creativity, and the courage to live fiercely, even in the shadow of the end.

Excerpt:

[atop Blute-Fin]

“Look at that sky! Do you see it, Emily? The clouds swirl with secrets, and the stars are dancing. He glanced at her. “You and me, we’re up there, too. Twirling and dancing where no one can stop us and everyone can see, if only they look.”

Her breath quickened as he pulled in close behind her and put his hands on her waist. The night air was cool and hot at the same time. The sky between them sizzled. “There’s a valley down below. A church. With a steeple.”

She could see it in her mind’s eye, what they were creating together. “And a tree,” she added. “A cedar, like the one we climbed together at the Jardin des Plantes. Or a cypress. I love the way their branches reach like flames.”

His hands spun her toward him, so that they were facing each other. “A starry night. Two people who love. Enough time for everything.”

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Meet Irene Latham

Irene Latham writes poems and stories from the Purple Horse Poetry Studio & Music Room in Blount County, Alabama. She is the author or co-author of many books for young people, including African Town, winner of the Scott O’Dell Award for Outstanding Historical Fiction.

This is her first novel for adults. Learn more at irenelatham.com.