At Hawthorn Time

May 18, 2015
In Harrison’s wondrous second novel (after Clay), disparate lives converge in a remote part of the British countryside. There’s Jack, a vagrant prone to poetic musing, living on seasonal work and eschewing the security of putting down roots. Then there’s Kitty and Howard, empty nesters grappling with the change in their relationship, especially after having left London for the countryside—a wish of Kitty’s that Howard agreed to after retiring from a business that he left in his son’s hands, without really thinking through what that would mean for him. Kitty, seeking solace in the local church and finding her artistic voice through painting, is also coming to terms with a past infidelity and a looming concern about her health. And then there’s Jamie, a young man with a warehouse job, finding his way in the world and hoping to better himself. A fateful accident brings the characters together, and Harrison’s prose paints a stunning picture of the landscape, as her characters wistfully find themselves wishing for a past they can never get back.