Mark Helprin's novel is set in a mythic New York, where Peter Lake, an orphan raised by tugboat workers, becomes a master burglar. He steals into the mansion of Isaac Penn, a newspaper magnate, and meets his daughter Beverly, who is dying of consumption. The story moves through the late nineteenth century and then to the end of the twentieth, with Peter returning after many years, a magical white horse, an eccentric gang called the Short Tails, and a promise that the city will be reborn. Helprin treats love, justice and time as forces that touch everything in the city.
It's long and extravagant, aimed at readers who enjoy magical realism and lyrical prose. If you're willing to follow a story with a lot of fantasy and sentiment, the book offers an unusual vision of New York.
Deep; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1983
- Language
- EN
