Flying in Place

Prominent surgeon Stewart Gray is a pillar of his small Wisconsin community, receiving holiday gifts from the local judge and dining with the mayor. But, as this chilling and finely tuned first novel illustrates, Dr. Gray is no paragon: he has been sexually abusing his 12-year-old daughter, Emma, for years. His wife, a respected English teacher, might be regarded as his accomplice, as she chooses not to know what occurs almost nightly in her daughter's bedroom. Emma narrates this contemporary horror story calmly and with fluid grace, engaging in dialogues and imaginative excursions with her dead sister, Ginny, in order to insulate herself during her father's systematic assaults. Only the Grays' boisterous next-door neighbors, the Hallorans, give her affection and support. Mrs. Halloran, the school nurse, sees Emma's bruises, notes her withdrawal and plummeting grades, and, with a few pointed questions, manages to piece the scenario together. The arrival of Emma's estranged yet knowledgeable Aunt Donna precipitates an explosive family confrontation--and further devastating revelations. Palwick avoids pat solutions, offering instead a deeply felt, deeply moving tale. (May)