WINTER RUN

Ashcom uses a young boy's love of animals as the vehicle for a graceful, compassionate ode to farm life in a bygone era in his elegiac debut novel. The book revolves around the childhood of Charlie Lewis as he grows up on a Virginia farm in the 1940s, with each chapter constructed around a different incident involving the various farm animals and local critters. It takes a few chapters for Ashcom to find his prose rhythm, as he presents some background on Charlie's father, a logger, and an episode of animal abuse by a neighbor that infuriates both the boy and the community. Next follow accounts featuring wild dogs and a boar, followed by the story of a hunt for a mysterious gray fox, and finally an especially touching yarn about the death of the family mule as Charlie goes to extraordinary lengths to give it a proper burial. The dark side of farm life is portrayed when a fire threatens the small town, but Ashcom balances that incident with a humorous story in which Charlie is given a pony that turns out to have a serious rebellious streak. The subtext of the book is the boy's unique but understated relationships with the town's second-class African-American residents. Ashcom is a smooth, compassionate writer who displays a nice feel for nature, local color, his animal and human subjects (though strong female characters are noticeably lacking), and a flair for tweaking the heartstrings without crossing the line into mawkishness. This is more a collection of related stories than a true novel, but there's enough talent and charm in these rural yarns to mark Ashcom as a promising newcomer. (Nov. 1)

Forecast:Booksellers might recommend this to James Herriot fans and other animal story lovers. Five-city author tour.