The Unknown Huntsman

Quebecois author Fortier’s debut novel is a surreal, offbeat look at life in a small, unnamed village and all the attendant complications and contradictions. Depending on each character’s perspective, the village is either close-knit or claustrophobic, its residents genuinely interested in their neighbors or just nosy. Villagers with names such as Father Wavery, Dr. Harmer, and Mr. Leaven (the baker) give the story a feel of an allegorical fairy tale. Strange crimes and accidents keep befalling the villagers, yet the emotional reactions of the others to these incidents are always a little off. The secret identity of the “we” narrator, who functions like an unreliable Greek chorus, adds intrigue. The novel is punctuated by twice-weekly village meetings often led by the Professor, an author- or God-like figure seemingly immune to repercussions even when his actions are extreme. As the novel progresses, its metafictional elements move to the fore, leaving readers wondering about the identity of the mysterious Professor and his relationship to the narrator. This is an intriguing and original novel, the ending of which does not wrap things up neatly so much as introduce an entirely new level of absurdity. (Nov.)