THE COURSE OF THE HEART

An unspoken secret that warps the lives of three Cambridge graduates is a springboard into mysteries of the heart and spirit in British author Harrison's enigmatic dark fantasy. Lucas Medlar, Pam Stuyvesant and the novel's unnamed narrator are all middle-aged intellectuals mired in the entropy of their lives. Lucas and Pam are in a deteriorating marriage, and the narrator uses work as a refuge from family and friends. All three are beholden to Yaxley, a creepy acquaintance from their schooldays who shows up periodically, always speaking in metaphysical riddles about a sensual realm called "the Pleroma." Meanwhile, Lucas entertains Pam with a fanciful history of "the Coeur," a symbol-laden quest that spans centuries and continents and is linked to the understanding of the Pleroma. The meaning of the Pleroma and the Coeur, and how they relate to visions of awe and terror that taunt all three characters over the course of the story, are just part of the weird aura that cloaks all the novel's events and points back to a strange shared experience from their youth. Harrison (Things That Never Happen ) tantalizes the reader with explanations that are always just out of reach, and this sense of imminent revelation heightens the tale's mystery and suspense. Readers who like fantasies tinged with the transcendent will find much to enjoy. Agent, Susan Howe. (Oct.)