Dreamthorp: A New Novel

Williamson's ( Ash Wednesday ) latest novel does not equal his short work. It concerns a small, idyllic Pennsylvania community, Dreamthorp, that has sprung up not far from a wooded area that covers an old Indian burial ground. After a protective talisman is removed from the burial ground by a fortune hunter, sudden and inexplicable violence erupts in Dreamthorp. The plot revolves around three characters: recently widowed art teacher and amateur woodworker Tom Brewer; Laura Stark, an advertising woman with doubts about her sexuality; and Gilbert Rodman, a homicidal young man of Indian descent whose crosscountry killing spree finally takes him to Dreamthorp in pursuit of Laura. Tom and Laura fall in love, but as they are building a relationship, Dreamthorp is disintegrating around them. Williamson's story gradually loses impact, and he fails to draw a believable or esthetically resonant connection between Gilbert Rodman and the vengeful spirits of the dead Indians. While quite readable and full of memorably violent moments, it doesn't add up to much. ( Jan. )