Greek Myths

God works in mysterious ways, through an unlikely catalyst in beloved British writer Ellis's witty novel, a fable about the immanence of spiritual blessing in a crass society. Nominated for the Booker when it was published in England in 1982, this is its first appearance here. During the 1950s, Valentine, a beautiful black West Indian woman, is sent from the convent in Wales where she is a postulant, to live temporarily in London with the Mother Superior's sister, Irene Wojtyla, called Aunt Irene by everyone. Though she is quiet and self-contained, Valentine's arrival occasions a series of strange events that unsettle Irene and others in her frowsy bohemian household. Irene is the descendant of Russian migr s who finally came to rest in Britain, their 27th place of exile. She lives with her nephew Kyril, a vain, self-satisfied, intensely dislikable young man; a boarder called ""little Mr. Sirocco""; and a clever cat named Focus. Others in the house are the envious daily cleaning lady, Mrs. Mason, the doormat for her viciously alcoholic husband, and a family of amiable Cockney rogues who keep Irene supplied with stolen goods for her house and table, so that she avoids paying taxes. Irene is the outsider and iconoclast through whose eyes Ellis makes droll and sardonic observations about the English: their strange eating habits, social conventions and attitudes toward class and race. Of course, Valentine is the ultimate outsider, and when it seems that she is the source of small miracles, everyone is confounded. Reading Ellis (The Sin Eater) is always a salubrious experience--one laughs at her whiplash humor while marveling at the ease with which she depicts eccentric but fully recognizable members of society. (Sept.)