The Hermit Next Door

Bestseller Hearne (the Iron Druid Chronicles series) explores the limitations of running from one’s feelings in this slight sci-fi novella. Recently widowed Tennessean Winnie Mae Chisholm hopes moving far enough away will help her and her teenage son, Pax, cope with their grief. Her only requirements while house hunting are quiet neighbors and a nearby river, leading her to a property in rural Oregon with a gorgeous stream and a notorious recluse named Mr. Fisher for a neighbor. When Pax meets Mr. Fisher, however, he learns the old shut-in is not what he seems: he’s a talking, technologically advanced giant otter who explains he’s “from this planet—just a different version of it.” His species found a way to travel between parallel worlds using the water ways that connect all things, but Mr. Fisher has been trapped for decades—and he needs the Chisholms’ help to finally get home, a task that’s complicated by a busybody neighbor from down the road. The folksy charm of Winnie Mae’s narration (she notes that “welcome cookies from new neighbors” and “sympathy casseroles from old neighbors” are both “offerings of calories to be deployed in times of uncertainty”) does a lot to carry the narrative, though it still ends up feeling more like a precursor to a fascinating portal adventure than a complete plot unto itself. It’s entertaining but undercooked. (June)