Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis

It is almost impossible to give a plot synopsis of The Thin Place. A lot happens, but it's mysterious and mystical, and not easily grasped or categorized. This is a really original book - the tone is lyrical and mesmerizing. People and animals have voices and exert equal impact in Davis' universe - three young girls, beloved dogs, an old woman, a couple, a tenacious beaver - all have stories here. There are deaths and near deaths as she paints the mundane with a magic brush. The Thin Place, found at no identifiable location, existing at the periphery of our limited vision, is where past and present mingle, while life and death are an infinite mesh of time and place. Davis gives us metaphysical snapshots of humans and animals sliding in and around time and space.

2 comments:

tinylittlelibrarian said...

"A tenacious beaver" - there's a phrase you don't come across very often. I'm intrigued just by that! :)

terry said...

"The Thin Place" reminds me stylistically of "A River Runs Through It", although I liked TTP better. philosophically, it seems akin to some of Thornton Wilder's works.

thanks for the review! you keep coming up with books and authors that i've never heard of.