Gavin Stokes, 15, the hero of James Treadwell's Advent, is a haunted boy. For as long as he can remember, he has been visited by the apparition of a young woman whom he has fondly come to think of as Miss Grey. Though she has been a comforting presence over the course of his childhood, Gavin's ability to see that which others cannot has led to an emotional estrangement from his parents and, as the story opens, suspension from school. At the end of their rope, Gavin's parents send him to stay with his aunt in Cornwall. In this evocative and chimerical setting, Gavin discovers not only that are there others who can interact with Miss Grey, but that she is the harbinger of a dark and magical world.
In many ways Treadwell's novel, the first in a planned trilogy, defies description. With its young and troubled protagonist, it initially feels a bit like a young adult novel. But the complexity of the story--which includes a subplot told in reverse chronological order and focusing on the legend of Faust--and the sophistication of the language seem to call for an older audience. The fantasy at the heart of the story is intricately imagined; sometimes so intricately that it verges on unintelligible. But it is also intriguing, strange, dark, occasionally incoherent and absolutely worth a read. Maybe even a second one, to figure out all the things you missed the first time. --Judie Evans, librarian