The Great Mans Secret

Against his own inclinations, Jerry takes on a job as a roving correspondent for his school's paper, more to please his father than himself. But Jerry's first article--an interview with a reclusive novelist who has just turned down the Nobel Prize--becomes far more than an assignment. Because he naively approaches the great Paul Bernard without preconceptions, Jerry wins the old man's trust. And as he comes to know the writer and his daughter Lorna, Jerry finds that all of them have more to offer each other than any could have guessed. Old wounds are healed, secrets are revealed--and this process spills into Jerry's home life, bringing his estranged parents back together. Van Raven's book harbors many pieces of insight, some in the intricate path of plotting and others as pearls about the nature of creativity and work. The writing is imperfect--at times, even clumsy--yet readers will easily dismiss that concern and reach for the compassionate story found between the lines. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)