May 21, 2012
Joyce (The Silent Land) blends reality with fantasy in this modern-day fable. When 35-year-old Tara Martin shows up on her parents’ doorstep two decades after she disappeared, unkempt and looking oddly as if she’s barely aged, her older brother, Peter, a farrier married with four kids, can’t hide his hurt, angry feelings—but they grow even stronger when Tara offers a preposterous story about riding away with a man on a white horse as an explanation for her disappearance. Peter breaks a 10-year silence with his former best friend, Richie Franklin, who as Tara’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance was the main suspect, to let him know that Tara’s back. The two men haltingly take up their friendship where it left off, and Richie realizes that he still loves Tara. As Tara accepts counseling with an eccentric psychiatrist and a stranger lurks about, Peter and Richie begin to wonder if her fantastical story may actually hold some truth. Though Joyce envisions an intriguing realm nestled against our own, what’s most compelling are his characters’ chaotic emotions and reconnections as they struggle to cope with what they can’t understand. Agent: Doug Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic.
July 15, 2012
Do we share the planet with other life forms such as fairies? Veteran British fantasist Joyce (The Silent Land, 2011, etc.) lets the possibility dangle in this absorbing work. She's come home. Tara Martin disappeared when she was not quite 16. Police combed her neighborhood in the English Midlands; her parents and protective older brother Peter were frantic. Her boyfriend Richie was the prime suspect. They had broken up over Tara's pregnancy. She didn't want to keep the baby; he did. No evidence, though, so no charges. Now, 20 years later, Tara shows up on her parents' doorstep. She's grubby and disheveled but scarcely older than the day she left. Peter now has his own family. Richie has been in a deep funk, his music his only refuge (he's a superb guitarist). Very reluctantly, Tara tells Peter her story. On that shimmering May day, in a primeval forest carpeted in bluebells, Tara had been approached by a handsome man riding a white horse. He was relaxed and nonthreatening. He described his idyllic world and Tara willingly agreed to enter it; they made the crossing at twilight. Once there, she wanted to return, but that would take six months (or 20 human years). As Tara feared, Peter is incredulous; he arranges a shrink, who finds her sane but delusional. All this is excellently done; expertly grounded, suspensefully told. Joyce only stumbles in describing Hiero the horseman's world. His people come across as promiscuous hippies, but they also have a bloodlust for gladiatorial combat and can ride bumblebees. If they're not "little people with lacy wings," then what exactly are they, other than dangerous? Hiero's later transition from tenderhearted altruist to hostile stalker is especially jarring. However, the case for a hidden world is bolstered when the shrink, more clever than wise, gets his comeuppance, and an ancient neighbor confides to Tara that she too had once visited that world. Keep an open mind, suggests Joyce with considerable charm.
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February 1, 2012
A girl named Tara disappears from her small English village, leaving behind a grieving but ultimately resigned family. Then 20 years later she returns--almost completely unchanged. Clearly, the work of a fantasist--Joyce has won both British Fantasy and World Fantasy awards--and comparisons are being made to Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child and S.J. Watson's When I Go To Sleep. Note, too, that Joyce's The Silent Land was a Stephen King Summer Pick in EW--and act accordingly.
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 1, 2012
Tara is just 15 when she disappears from the woods near her home. Twenty years later, she reappears on her parents' doorstep looking strangely the same as when she left. Her parents welcome her but are now uneasy around her, and her brother is angry, especially when he hears the explanation she offers, which is more fairy tale than abduction story. Only her boyfriend, who had been suspected of her murder all those years ago, is willing to accept her return with little hesitation. But although Tara hasn't really aged, her 20-year absence has been hard on those she cares about, and her return stirs emotions not all of them are prepared to face. It may even place some of them in danger. Reality and fairy tale are beautifully interwoven in this contemplative story about relationships, love, and dreams. In a unique blend of thriller and fantasy, Joyce creates a delightful page-turner that his fans and newcomers alike will find hard to put down.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)
June 1, 2012
On Christmas Eve, Tara Martin reappears on her parents' doorstep after vanishing in a local forest 20 years ago. Tara looks as though she has not aged and claims she was taken by fairies. Through alternating points of view, Joyce (The Silent Land), who has won the O. Henry Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the World Fantasy Award, reveals the profound effect of Tara's disappearance and return on the key figures in her life. Her family believes she is lying to cover up the real reason she ran away, her psychologist believes she had a psychological break coupled with suppressed growth hormones, and her ex-boyfriend is simply relieved he is no longer a suspect in her murder. When unexplainable incidents begin occurring as Tara continues to describe her life in the violent, sexually charged fairy world, all involved begin questioning their beliefs. VERDICT A captivating blend of fantasy and reality that will keep readers guessing till the very end. Recommended for fans of Keith Donohue's The Stolen Child and readers who enjoy fairy tale variations, fantasy, or psychological exploration. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/12.]--Katie Lawrence, Chicago
Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.