Search - A Certain Slant of Light

There are quite a few books with this same title, so don't get confused and pick up one written by Laura Whitcomb (that one was awful, IMO). For my money, Thayer's "A Certain Slant of Light" is the clear winner.

20 years ago, Peter MacQueen lost his wife and 2 kids in a house fire. He had been away from home at the time, competing in a bagpipe competition at some highland games somewhere. His life shattered by bitter regrets and loss, he moves to a summer cabin on the coast of Maine, and for the next 20 years he lives basically like a hermit; shut off from other people and keeping a closed door on his heart. Peter ekes out a small living as a sheep farmer. He's alive, but that's about all you can say. He exists.

During a March ice storm, Peter looks out his cabin window and sees a heavily pregnant woman making her way through the forest. She's blue with cold and it's all she can do to keep her feet. Peter wants nothing to do with her, but he can't leave her outside to die. Peter takes her in, only for a day, but 1 day turns into 2, and then a week, and then a month. Her name is Elaine. She wants to stay. She has a past as well, and wants time to make some important decisions for her life and the life of her child.

As Thayer's subtle tale of redemption slowly unfolds, the reader learns more about Peter's tragic loss and Elaine's backstory. It is a love story of sorts, but not in the conventional way. It's more a story of 2 people learning to come to grips with their past and forging a new direction for their lives. The ending is bittersweet. People who like HEA's might not be pleased, but for me it struck a perfect chord, and made sense within the context of the story.

One of the things I liked most about Thayer's story was her descriptions of playing the bagpipes. I've always loved bagpipe music, and the way that Thayer talked about the instrument and the various ballands and laments was beautifully done. She either did alot of research on this subject, or she knows about bagpipes firsthand. Some of the ballads/laments were chapter titles (some I even knew!!), so that part was fascinating

Be warned: there is some strong language and some sexual content in this book. It didn't advance the story, so I'm not quite sure why it was necessary, but whatever. If you object to that kind of thing, it might ruin the story for you.

A really great story, I got caught up in the lives of the characters, but did not like the ending, at all.

Ii really liked this novel. The characters are so honestly portrayed that you begin to know them very well early on - especially Peter, the curmudgeon hermit who has lost his wife and kids to a terrible fire. The pregnant woman who 'invades' his solitude, as well as his home, has depth of her own. A good, intelligent read.