EYES AT THE WINDOW

Miller's ambitious, moving debut tells the fascinating saga of Amish settlers in Pennsylvania and Ohio in the 19th century, where, in the face of hardship and privation, simply to stay alive was to triumph. Seen through the eyes of eight main characters who alternate chapters, the story centers on how the mysterious death of an infant in 1810 reverberates for the next 50 years. Death hovers over every page: diphtheria, miscarriages, stillbirths, mad dogs, lightning strikes and overwork are part of each character's everyday life ("Father! Father! Look to Mother. She is not right. She feels cold and makes no answer"). In the midst of this unrelenting struggle, love blossoms: men and women marry, have many children and live spiritual lives of order and simplicity. As the characters grow older, the strict rules of their religion begin to erode in the face of modernization, and new problems arise. In less able hands, this epic might drag, but Miller crafts a narrative that seizes the reader's imagination from the beginning and never lets go. Yost, the father of the baby, worries about the future ("I will keep my boys close when they are grown; I will use my land as bait"); Polly, who may have seen the baby's attacker, muses about love ("I wish Jonas had been given more looks... his green eyes have too much of the cat in them"); and Rueben, wrongfully accused of the baby's murder and shunned by his relatives and neighbors for 50 years, longs for his late wife ("My Anna.... I know she watches my valley with me"). There is little variation in voice from character to character, and Miller's biblical cadences may seem strained to some, but this is a rewarding read, a rich portrait of a time and a people. (Oct.)

Forecast:The Amish are perpetually of interest, and Miller—who hails from Kalona, Iowa, home to the largest Amish Mennonite settlement west of the Mississippi River—provides an unusually intimate glimpse into their world,making this a prime candidate for handselling.