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Book Review of The Caretaker of Lorne Field: A Novel

The Caretaker of Lorne Field: A Novel
cyndij avatar reviewed on + 1031 more book reviews


Jack's family has been weeding Lorne Field for 300 years, pulling up what is said to be dangerous monsters known as Aukowies, that start as small weeds. Thanks to a contract dating back a hundred years or so, the caretaker gets a yearly allowance plus housing from the town. But the contract also says that no one else can come near the field, and the eldest son must inherit the job. Jack's life is miserable, his eldest son thinks it's stupid, the town has forgotten why he's there. The big question here is are there really Aukowies? Jack believes it...but are there really?
There are no likeable people in this book, but it doesn't detract from the story. You can see the inevitable coming and the suspense for the reader is wondering if Zeltersman will let us know - are there really monsters, or was it just an ancient superstition?