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The Song of Daniel

IN THE TRADITION of his award-winning novel The Heart of a Distant Forest, Philip Lee Williams give us another lyrical and compassionate tale, and his most fascinating protagonist to date. The Song of Daniel is a story of innocence, of a young man who has pushed away his darkest memories to live a simple life as a groundskeeper in a cemetary. Daniel exults in his world and in a few close friends at the trailer park, where he lives with his beloved dog Toggle. Daniel's world is changed when he meets Rebecca Gentry, an English professor at a university near the cemetary. Rebecca, recently divorced, self-absorbed and cynical, is struggling to write the life of a poet she cannot fully understand. Rebecca and Daniel are both transformed when they meet, each bringing gifts of joy and sorrow to their days. But a shattering experience from years' past comes back into Daniel's life, threatening both his new love and his happiness. Finally, in a complex clash of innocence and experience, Daniel's childlike life becomes clear and Rebecca discovers a long hidden part of herself — and the key to the poet who so fascinated and eluded her. This is a story about homeplace, about love and loss of family, about an innocent man's journey towards experience. Williams, a masterful storyteller, has once again written a beautiful and deeply moving novel.

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 302
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9780934601757
  • Genres
  • fiction
  • Release date
  • 1989