Sylvia left her childhood home to avoid revealing a secret that she instinctively knew her watchful grandmother would not accept. Now, years later, she returns to help her grandmother bury her grandfather. Though she plans to leave again as soon as possible, she finds herself drawn once more into the same tangle she fled before, only this time she is unable to extricate herself. The mysteries of the wood behind her grandmother's house, the secrets of her past, and the secrets of those she's known her entire life all become entangled with tradition and the world of the fairy, threatening to reveal the truth she's held close all these years and risking the well being of those she loves.
Impression: I loved Solstice Wood. Though written in a style that is unusual for McKillip, the writing still retained her ability to draw you into the story. Not as poetic as most her books, it still had its own kind of poetry that was expressed in the story itself rather than in the way it was written. McKillip also chose to use several different characters to tell the story rather than remaining in Sylvia's perspective throughout the novel, and yet the story remains Sylvia's. And yet, it also belonged to the other characters, who were all touched in some way by the pull between tradition and the wonder of the unknown. Rich description made the story easy to "see", and I am a reader who loves to just sit back and immerse myself in the vision of the author rather than be forced to create my own ideas of a story's sights and sounds and smells.
I did suspect part of the ending before I came to the conclusion, but this actually did not detract from the story at all. The plot was solid, the ending still had its twists, and waiting to see if the other characters would realize what I knew as a reader was part of the enjoyment. McKillip has a way of making you care about her characters, ALL her characters. While I wouldn't say that Solstice Wood is my favorite McKillip book, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.
