The Woodwitch

The Woodwitch relates a chilling episode in the life of Andrew Pinkney, a young English lawyer who wants to redeem himself from sexual humiliation. While the ensuing events are often lyrical, more frequently they're macabre. Pinkney is given the run of a deep-woods bungalow in Wales by his boss (who hopes he'll somehow get his wits back), and it's there that he stumbles onto budding fungi he believes will help him bud as well. They're six-inch ``stinkhorns,'' and they haunt him with the power he ascribes them. The plan this not-so-gentle giant devises for his redemption is not for gossamer sensibilities, however, and Pinkney himself is a barely likable lummox. But Gregory writes with the hypnotic power of Poe, and this second novel has chilling implications. (Jan.)