certain slant of light

This wonderful book truly shows life in rural Maine, revealing both the drudgery and the joy of fully living off the land. One feels present in the tiny cabin from which the main character, Peter, sets forth daily to perform his endless chores.The complex familial relationships are as compelling as the eventual unfolding of the tragic story. We are allowed into Peter's mind, and the secrets it holds, in only small flashes, so the story reveals itself in a halting, flickering manner, the only way Peter can allow himself to think about his family and their terrible ending.The other character, Elaine, who literally stumbles into his lonely world, is an enigma as well. Pregnant and deeply troubled, she keeps her own secrets hidden until their revelation is inevitable.Cynthia Thayer has a special gift for poetic description. Her passages concerning Peter's bagpipes and his deep relationship with them, for example, bring an unexpected beauty to the otherwise prosaic instrument and infuse it with such a powerful presence that the reader may even hear the music and long for it to continue. A Certain Slant of Light illuminates two strong, damaged people and the building of their relationship in an honest and very readable way.