Polly Whittacker has two sets of memories. In one, her childhood is boringly normal. In the other, she is friends with the unusual Thomas Lynn, a cellist whose complicated life expands to include her, too. As she packs to return to college, the second set of memories blazes up to displace the first, and Polly knows something is very wrong. Why did she forget? Is someone trying to make her forget? Soon she is the detective of her own history, and the trail leads her back to Tom Lynn, whose life, she now knows, is at supernatural risk.
“Set in the present but rooted in two romantic British ballads—‘Thomas the Rhymer’ and ‘Tam Lin’—the novel examines the nature of heroism and love. . . . The inventive author skillfully orchestrates the stories—the ballads, adventures, and real life— into a reverberant composition.”—The Horn Book
“She has a unique record of producing books you can’t forget! Every book is different. And every book is likely to be in someone’s top seven! I feel we need to acknowledge how lucky those of us are who grew up on her books, and to ensure subsequent generations enjoy the same intense and subtle pleasure.”—The Guardian
“Diana Wynne Jones is truly a treasure, and every one of her stories is to be cherished.”—The SF Site
Polly Whittacker has two sets of memories. In one, her childhood is boringly normal. In the other, she is friends with the unusual Thomas Lynn, a cellist whose complicated life expands to include her, too. As she packs to return to college, the second set of memories blazes up to displace the first, and Polly knows something is very wrong. Why did she forget? Is someone trying to make her forget? Soon she is the detective of her own history, and the trail leads her back to Tom Lynn, whose life, she now knows, is at supernatural risk.
Praise
“Set in the present but rooted in two romantic British ballads—‘Thomas the Rhymer’ and ‘Tam Lin’—the novel examines the nature of heroism and love. . . . The inventive author skillfully orchestrates the stories—the ballads, adventures, and real life— into a reverberant composition.”—The Horn Book
“She has a unique record of producing books you can’t forget! Every book is different. And every book is likely to be in someone’s top seven! I feel we need to acknowledge how lucky those of us are who grew up on her books, and to ensure subsequent generations enjoy the same intense and subtle pleasure.”—The Guardian
“Diana Wynne Jones is truly a treasure, and every one of her stories is to be cherished.”—The SF Site
