Lindskold, Jane. Child of a rainless year.

LINDSKOLD, Jane. Child of a rainless year. Tor. 451 p. c2005.0-765-34824-1. $799. A

Mira's whole life was her mother Colette, an elegant but unstable woman. Her name recalls the many mirrors that surrounded her mother, which left little psychic space for Mira's own development. Soon after Mira started school, Colette disappeared, and Mira was sent off to Boise with foster parents. Now that she is 50 and single, Mira's life is turned upside down once again. She is called back to her hometown when she finds out that her childhood home is hers to keep. Remembering the off-white Victorian house, Mira is surprised to see a motley-colored home. The groundskeeper Domingo said that the house "wanted" those colors. Very sensitive to color herself, Mira goes along with Domingo's perceptions, and works to get the Phineas House, as it is called, back into shape. In the process, Mira notices that someone--or thing--is helping clean and take care of the house. Then Mira discovers that she can speak to ghosts. Who--and what--is alive? Her mother? Her father? The house? And to what extent are they controlling her life?

Lindskold slowly builds a credible foundation to this paranormal story, which posits a liminal world: the "crack" between the lines of reality that enable one to travel through parallel universes. The pacing is leisurely but suspenseful, sucking in the attention of the reader much as the house does to Mira and Domingo. The one caveat is that adult readers are probably more likely to enjoy the book than teenagers because of the ages and issues of the characters. Dr. Lesley Farmer, Lib. Svcs., CSULB, Long Beach, CA

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.