After only two miserable days of marriage to the middle son of her parents' feudal landlord, Marnie Isherwood becomes a widow in a tiny, unkempt cottage near a strange, unfriendly village. Her only friends are the village priest and the local "mad boy," whose name Marnie changes from Raver to Raven. Soon Marnie realizes that Raven is deaf, not mad. She invents a language of hand-signs to communicate with him, penetrating his world of anguish and confusion, and showing him compassion where he has only known cruelty.

But the local people don't take kindly to Marnie. For a variety of stupid, superstitious reasons--not least of which is the malice of a brother-in-law who wants to evict her from the cottage--Marnie is branded as a witch. And her sign-language with Raven is interpreted as some kind of spell-weaving. The result is a drama of gripping intensity, combined with a gentle love story, a low-key mystery, and an exploration of the unexpected ways in which good and evil manifest themselves.

If I have one bone to pick with this novel, it is that Marnie's self-possessed nature--which makes her such a wonderful character--is out of step with the age in which her tale is set. But according to the author's note at the end of the story, the characters of Marnie and Raven are what made the story happen, and the choice of a fantasy-medieval setting came later, because it almost seemed a shame to spoil the purity of the story with extraneous historical details. Maybe this is an insight into how some of the best fantasy stories are written.

Robbie Fischer

Recommended Age: 15+

1/30/2005

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