THE WOLF AND THE FAVOUR

In McCarthy’s fantasy novel, a girl with Down syndrome finds herself in the company of supernatural entities.

Hannah is 9 years old when she and her father leave England for a cottage in Wales. It’s a tough point in her life, with puberty approaching and her estranged mother more invested in her acting career than her daughter. But Hannah, who has Down syndrome and sometimes escapes to her own inner world, easily adjusts to this new place. She cherishes time with her dad, Bleddyn, and quickly bonds with Miss Morgan, her school-assigned classroom assistant. Back at the cottage, “The Lane,” an ostensibly unused stretch of road, both fascinates and scares her. To its right sits her and Bleddyn’s garden, and to the left, woods. It’s near the woods where she comes across two astonishing beings: a seemingly docile wolf who talks and what appears to be a “tree creature.” While the wolf warns her to stay out of the woodland, the creature beckons Hannah into the trees. McCarthy aptly fuses a coming-of-age tale with urban fantasy as Hannah turns 10, inches closer to high school, and gradually becomes independent, which both she and Bleddyn must acclimate to. Scenes with the otherworldly creatures are subtly woven into the narrative to simply become parts of the girl’s daily routine. Readers gradually learn more about the reality of the situation, and the unforgettable ending offers further clarity. The author masterfully conveys the story from Hannah’s mindset as the protagonist works out certain pronunciations, struggles to understand the nonliteral aspect of idioms, and reads a person’s true emotion in their eyes. Descriptions throughout are lyrical, whether it’s a voice in the breeze whispering Hannah’s name or Hannah merely looking out her bedroom window, the trees “black against the creeping darkness of the sky,” the “hand-shaped silhouettes of summer leaves” waving at her.

This smartly understated, arresting urban fantasy boasts a charming young hero.