ALTERED LAND

A tragic accident on a boy's 13th birthday forever changes the lives of a mother and son in this haunting debut novel. Joan is a single mother, a beautiful woman and a brilliant academic who never lacks for male attention. Her son, John, knows he is adored; if his father's disappearing act during his mother's pregnancy shadows their past, the two still enjoy a peaceful life in the West Country of England. The accident—which leaves John deaf and his mother facially disfigured—at once strains and strengthens their bond. Employing alternating narratives, Hardy picks up the story 27 years later. John is a successful carpenter in Bristol, married to Sonja, who is a synaesthete—someone whose senses have merged so that she tastes colors and feels sound. Their 20-year relationship is shaken when John decides to undergo risky surgery to obtain cochlear implants; Sonja, meanwhile, may be having an affair. John's mother has become a virtual recluse and alcoholic, attending to her best friend Ellen, who is dying of cancer. From these somber elements Hardy weaves an affecting, emotionally complex story, as damaged mother and son explore the vicissitudes of the past. The well-developed cast of characters struggle through heartbreak and recovery, and learn that there is something to be gained by coping with fear and loss. The author's captivating prose, lushly descriptive but never overly sentimental, heightens the multilayered effect that lingers well after the final page has been turned. Agent, Maggie Phillips. (Oct.)

Forecast:If the American reviews are as effusive as the British reviews, Hardy could attract a solid if modest U.S. readership.