Halo

Winner of the David Higham and McKitterick prizes in the U.K., this first novel is a tale of the Old West as seen through the eyes of its narrator, Scrag, a boy who comes of age on the wagon trail to Oregon. Loveday's American West is a romantic landscape in the purest literary sense, infused with a majestic beauty that underscores Scrag's sense of wonder as he learns about life. During the long journey, Scrag is drawn to both Lorelei, a beautiful, fiercely independent woman in the wagon party, and to her daughter, Justly, blossoming into a young woman before Scrag's rather lascivious eyes. The journey parallels Scrag's passage to a sorrowful manhood, formed not only by tender nights with Lorelei, but also the society of the wagon party and the brutality and tragedy he witnesses in the town of Halo. His Virgil on this journey is the enigmatic Sylvester, a rugged photographer and poet who introduces Scrag, Lorelei and Justly to the works of Walt Whitman. Loveday writes a clean yet lush prose that works best when celebrating the beauty and hardship of life on the trail. The novel bogs down in its depiction of the idyllic sensuality of Scrag's love for mother and daughter, veering at times into ludicrous, softcore pornography. Ultimately, though, Loveday's well-placed tale and crisply drawn characters distinguish this accomplished debut. Movie rights to Barry Blackmore. (Oct.)