Silverpoint

A maze of madness, dreams and mythological characters pervades this story of 12-year-old Cora's growing need to meet her Greek father, who disappeared before she was born. Most of the characters in this sometimes beautiful, sometimes impenetrable tale have been knocked slightly off center by some tragedy in their lives--which tends to lead the plot to several dead ends. With the help of her eccentric friend Charley, Cora consults books, mystics and crazy people in the park to achieve her goal. In the process she learns enough about herself not to be destroyed when her father appears and is not the Greek god she expected. The emotional impact of Cora's search is often lost in densely packed though startlingly evocative imagery. Even so, her many abstract dreams and visions are enticing and powerful--and pertinent enough to allow the reader to follow the story through to its end. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)