An unforgettable tale of love, family secrets, and the hold of the past in a family of New England artists, A Peculiar Grace is the latest triumph from the author of In the Fall , hailed by The Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times as one of the best books of the year. Hewitt Pearce lives alone in his family home, producing custom ironwork and safeguarding a small collection of art his late father left behind. When Jessica, a troubled young vagabond, washes up in his backwoods one morning, Hewitt’s hermetic existence is challenged. As he gradually uncovers Jessica’s secrets and reestablishes contact with a woman he thought he had lost twenty years before, Hewitt must confront his own dark history and rediscover how much he craves human connection. A Peculiar Grace is a remarkable achievement by one of our finest authors, an insightful portrait of family secrets, and a rich tapestry filled with characters who have learned to survive by giving shape to their losses. *Starred Review* Hewitt Pearce has sequestered himself on land in Vermont cherished by his family for generations. There his late father, a renowned painter, found sanctuary after suffering a horrific loss before his son was born. Now Hewitt, a fine-arts blacksmith, is brooding and ornery in his solitude as he, too, mourns love lost not in tragedy but in folly. Consequently, he is leery of getting drawn into the chaos surrounding the mysterious, feral young woman who appears out of the blue. After two highly praised historical novels, Lent presents a commanding present-day drama of rootedness and disconnection, desire and fear, inheritance and freedom. Drawing on his astute perceptions of family, the "stone of memory," the weight of secrets, the toll of love, and the solace of art (his depictions of Hewitt crafting his exquisitely designed ironwork are profound in their implications), Lent has forged a many-faceted plot, vital characters, convincing psychology, and finely articulated spiritual musings. Although the melodramatic complications can be ponderous, Lent's prose is lustrous—rich in supple dialogue and finely patterned imagery. Echoing the rhapsodic specificity and gravitas of Steinbeck and Kent Haruf, Lent has constructed a resolute tale of paradise lost and found. Seaman, Donna "An uncomfortably brilliant novel both in the human dimensions of the story and the intense grace of the writing." -- Jim Harrison, author of Returning to Earth "Another intense exploration of family ties, doomed love, and existential questing from talented, risk-taking Lent." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Lent can describe everyday things--a grape harvest, a dirt road--with fresh, vivid language." -- The Denver Post "Lent has been compared to Faulkner for his willingness to subvert the standard conventions of language and writing." -- The Pittsburgh Tribune "The best book to date by one of the two or three most gifted American novelists since William Faulkner." -- Howard Frank Mosher, author of Disappearances Reviewed by Stephen Amidon For someone who claims to crave solitude, Hewitt Pearce, the hero of Jeffrey Lent's third novel, certainly has a lot of women in his life. The 43-year-old Vermont blacksmith may have posted an ornery "No Entry" sign outside his forge, but that does not prevent a series of remarkable female visitors from barging through the door to fan the flames of his heart. Most notable among these interlopers is Jessica Kress, a young stranger who drives a VW Bug with Mississippi plates onto Hewitt's property one morning. Beautiful and troubled, she somewhat improbably claims that she was on her way to Texas, only to wind up lost on the backroads of Vermont. Although Jessica is initially skittish and even hostile to her host, she eventually accepts Hewitt's offer of a meal and a shower. What was intended to be a quick rest stop evolves into a more long-term arrangement. Jessica turns out to be a homeless drifter who has seen her share of trouble on the road and badly needs some shelter. What's more, her arrival just might be less random than it first appeared. Although Hewitt knows it could be trouble, he offers her a place to stay for as long as she needs one. Meanwhile, on the very day of Jessica's unexpected arrival, there is momentous news from upstate New York: The husband of Hewitt's long-lost love, Emily Soren, has died after drunkenly slamming his car into a cow. Acting on instinct, Hewitt pays the widow an unannounced visit that ends in disaster. He crawls home, only to find that he must deal with yet more women. First, there is another ex-girlfriend who refuses to grant Hewitt the consolation he seeks. Finally, the blacksmith is faced with the imposing trio of his mother, sister and niece, who arrive with only a moment's notice, carrying with them the weighty emotional baggage of the family's past. Lent made his name with the generational saga In the Fall, and his second novel, Lost Nat