In the Country of the Young

Lusciously lyrical, Carey's second novel once again seductively crosses the line between reality and magic. If her first, The Mermaids Singing, introduced her as a skilful writer of tasteful melodrama and acquired her a considerable readership, her new book, backed up by an extensive marketing campaign and a reading group guide, should establish her as a serious presence in the field of quality soft-focus fiction. Set on a small island off the Maine coast, the narrative gracefully shifts from the past to the present, tracing the paths of sensual, compelling characters whose histories are inexplicably linked. Reclusive artist Oisin MacDara has not been quite human since his beloved twin sister, Nieve, committed suicide 25 years ago at the age of 15. He lives alone on the island of Tiranogue, named after an Irish immigrant ship that foundered there in 1848, and rarely speaks to anyone, although almost every single woman on the island has benefited from ""knowing"" him, in the biblical sense. Gifted with second sight as a child, Boston-born Oisin often saw spirits when he visited his relatives in Ireland every summer. Although he has not seen a ghost since Nieve died, he is always looking for her to return, so Oisin is hopeful when a spirit begins to haunt his lonely cabin and eventually materializes to live with him. However, the ghost is that of a seven-year-old girl named Aisling Quinn, who died in a shipwreck more than a century ago. The result of an illicit affair, Aisling had been ignored by all of her family except her brother Darragh. She and Darragh, who also died at sea, hoped to begin a new life in Canada. Returned in the flesh to Tiranogue, Aisling begins to live the life she was denied, miraculously growing from childhood into adulthood over the course of a year. Crafting a backstory as vibrant and poignant as her primary narrative, Carey lovingly charts the unearthly relationship between suffering souls, carefully skirting simple saccharine solutions. 7-city author tour. (Nov.)