deLint, Charles

• The Little Country (7)

  • The central character in this novel is Janey Little, a folk singer in the Cornish fishing village of Mousehole. She discovers a secret book her father (with whom she shares her home) inherited from an old friend about a magic realm of tiny people in the attic. Opening the book and beginning to read sets in motion events on a broad scale, since the book is like a magical key. While the book is being read, it acts like a doorway to a sunlit room cracked open to allow light to spill into an inky black house. The opening can be sensed by those in tune, both good people and an evil conspiracy controlled by a desperate, rich and powerful man named Madden, who wants to take possession of the book.

    On a smaller scale, Janey's long-lost love returns from his travels, hoping to rebuild their relationship, and Janey's friends and companions also have trouble with the town witch (who doesn't wear kid-gloves when it comes to black magic). Even with all of these various subplots in motion at once, the book has a relaxed and almost rustic feel thanks to deLint's smooth writing style and entertaining characters. Thinking back, it is hard to believe that I actually felt things were moving slowly, but I did. I can't say that I was really drawn into the book's world. It just didn't feel relevant, for lack of a better word. I didn't get a sense of urgency or excitement here, even when lives were threatened. Maybe that's a good thing for some readers, but there were long stretches in this book where I had trouble turning the pages, and it is difficult for me to put my finger on exactly why.

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