Her daughters are sixteen and thirteen when Gillian, thrice-divorced and still leading a rackety life, appears on the doorstep . Unfortunately, Gillian has brought along her latest boyfriend. The sisters bury him in Sally's garden, succeeding only in making the lilacs run mad, a mistake that haunts the family, in particular Sally's daughter Kylie, who has the power of vision. She sees that those lilacs, those beautiful things, have an aura all their own, and it's surprisingly dark. He's there all right, admiring the night through his gorgeous cold eyes, ready to make somebody pay.
Love is a physical sensation.
The elbows of a man bewitched pucker a linoleum counter. Another walks around with singed cuffs. It's difficult to catch Alice Hoffman's power in brief quotes. Those who do might take a moment to recall Alison Lurie's caveat. All rights reserved.