"A whimisical fantasy"
After his mother dies, Travis Fisher travels to the Midwest
town of Haute Montagne to live with his Aunt Liza Burack
and her husband Creath. It is the Great Depression and
jobs are hard to come by so Travis works for Creath at his
ice plant. The Baracks have a strange but beautiful boarder
named Anna living in their attic and Travis is attracted to
her even though she sleeps with Creath. Travis starts dating Nancy Wilcox who wants to help Anna
escape from Creath. Anna begs Travis to take Anna to a
safe place before she starts changing. With Nancy's help
he succeeds, but also glimpses Anna in her other form and
knows she is not human. He leaves and Nancy watches over
Anna until she completes the change. Anna is also waiting
for her other half before she can return to her home world,
but Haute Montagne is on the verge of exploding and Travis,
Nancy, Anna and her other half could get caught in the
middle of vigilante justice. A HIDDEN PLACE is a fascinating work of fantasy starring
two misfits who see themselves through an alien's myopic
eyes. Nancy's easy acceptance of Anna's origins and
Travis's rejection of her is a reflection of the lives they
lived up to this point. Anna is a complex character who
can see the beauty in humanity, which is the reason Nancy
is so willing to help her. Travis is also a complicated
person running from a past he can't accept and a future he
doesn't believe in unless he makes peace with the mother he
both loved and hated. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted October 3, 2002
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