WESTERN WIND

Even people of unusual intelligence and good will can encounter nigh-impossible choices. Denying Elizabeth an anticipated bike trip with a friend, her parents send her for a month with gruff Gran on Pring, an isolated island in Maine, without real explanation. Elizabeth loves Gran, but her disappointment is compounded by the belief that her parents want to be alone with their new baby. Sensible Gran is patient with Elizabeth's initial pique, getting on with her own work (she's an artist), initiating her into life in their primitive cabin, telling family stories, and sharing her amusement over the bizarre and troubled Herkimers, Pring's only other inhabitants. Helen and John Herkimer monitor bright little Aaron's every move, to his acerbic older sister's disgust; in response, Aaron's goal in life is to escape, which he eventually does in their sailboat. The Coast Guard picks him up, but not before a fevered search severely aggravates Gran's heart condition. Should Elizabeth have been told of this illness? She and Gran have shared a happy month, happier for her ignorance; in retrospect, Elizabeth honors Gran's wish not to be watched and worried over like Aaron. Another subtle and thoughtful novel from this fine author, with idiosyncratic, beautifully realized characters, vividly telling images, and a wise and compassionate view of the complexities of human nature. (Fiction. 10+)