Lanny

A family of three (mom, dad, and small son) resides in an English hamlet, a site with historic roots that's now a commuter suburb of London. All the mod cons, but with room for a creative kid to roam in nature and get his hands dirty. Idyllic, except for the old prejudices that some of the inhabitants still harbor, and the ancient mythic spirit who monitors everything best kept hidden. Lanny is contemporary writing that's already timeless, a song, an incantation, a poem of people, place, and power. Porter's village is a world, his characters are all-too-human archetypes, and his novel is a glorious verbal artifact. —James (via the Madison Books newsletter)