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A child born of chance might imagine that Chance was its father, in the way that gods fathered children, and then abandoned them, without a backward glance, but with one small gift. I wondered if a gift had been left for me. I had no idea where to look, or what I was looking for, but I know now that all important journeys start that way. Motherless and anchorless, Silver is taken in by the timeless Mr. Pew, keeper of the Cape Wrath lighthouse. Pew tells Silver ancient tales of longing and rootlessness, of ties that bind and of the slippages that occur throughout every life. One life, Babel Dark's, a nineteenth century clergyman, opens like a map that Silver must follow. Caught in her own particular darknesses, she embarks on an Ulyssean sift through the stories we tell ourselves, stories of love and loss, of passion and longing, stories of unending journeys that move through places and times, and the bleak finality of the shores of betrayal. But finally, "I love you. The most difficult words in the world. But what else can I say?" A story of mutability, of talking birds and stolen books, of Darwin and Stevenson and of the Jekyll and Hyde in all of us.
After being orphaned, a young girl named Silver finds refuge in a remote lighthouse where she must navigate the intersection of her own history and the enigmatic life of a nineteenth-century clergyman. Silver is taken in by Mr. Pew, a blind lighthouse keeper who serves as both mentor and storyteller, guiding her through the complexities of human identity. As she listens to the tale of Babel Dark, a man torn between his faith and his desires, Silver confronts the instability of her own existence. The narrative weaves together multiple timelines and perspectives, utilizing a lyrical, fable-like structure to examine the nature of truth and the stories individuals construct to survive their circumstances.
This work is characterized by its dense, atmospheric prose and its preoccupation with the mechanics of storytelling itself. The narrative suggests a focus on the fluidity of identity, where the boundaries between the protagonist's reality and the historical accounts she uncovers become increasingly porous. Readers likely encounter a meditative pace that prioritizes thematic resonance over traditional plot progression, inviting reflection on the nature of love and betrayal. The text functions as a literary puzzle, demanding active engagement with its layered allusions and shifting perspectives to fully grasp the central inquiry into the human condition.
Page Count:
232
Publication Date:
2004-01-01
Publisher:
Fourth Estate
ISBN-10:
0007181515
ISBN-13:
9780007181513