The book of hidden wonders A novel

Combining fantasy with a dash of reality to position the story in time, Crosby's debut weaves the tale of Romilly Kemp and her artist father. They live in a disintegrating mansion in the British countryside, seemingly surviving on imagination and tinned baked beans. Romilly's mother is gone and not discussed. Romilly's father makes her the main character in a book he writes, one that is illustrated with wildly fanciful paintings filled with hidden clues. The success of this book and the ones that follow bring some money into their lives, but no stability. Romilly leaves school for homeschooling that she seems to manage on her own, and her friend Stacy may or may not be real. The clues written into the books bring tourists and treasure hunters to their home, as well as sacks of mail from fans and detractors alike. Terry Waite, who was held hostage in Lebanon from 1987--1991, is a background character and the only touch of reality to be found in the story. The mystery written into the books is not one of physical treasure, but of the truth of their lives' tragic reality. Where does the fantasy end and the madness begin? Romilly will need to sort all of this out to survive. This wildly original first novel presents a world view like no other, though it feels disjointed at times.

Crosby's moody, richly detailed debut tracks a girl's coming-of-age in Britain's Suffolk countryside while struggling to piece together her family history. Towards the end of the 1980s, Romilly Kemp, eight, moves with her father, Tobias, to Braër, an old, moldering farmhouse complete with a moat and a gargoyle protruding from the water. Romilly and Tobias have been on their own since her mother left when Romilly was four, and now her father has abandoned his teaching position in London to write and illustrate a children's book series starring a version of Romilly. Tobias's young readers are drawn to Braër, believing his books contain clues to a buried treasure. Over the next seven years, Romilly, in the company of her friend Stacey, attempts to make sense of the past through her own interpretation of the book's clues, such as a drawing of Romilly with a mole placed on the wrong side of her face. A series of discoveries makes Romilly rethink everything she thought she had known about her family. While few readers are likely to be surprised by the plot reveals, such as Stacey's true nature, Romilly is a spunky and sympathetic character, and Crosby weaves a magical spell in which dark-edged fantasy collides with everyday life. This is a worthy twist on the haunted house story. (Sept.)