Toward Love and Fulfillment

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Patrick Ness

The Crane Wife is a magically complex contemporary novel by Patrick Ness based upon a traditional Japanese folktale. Protagonist George Duncan is a middle-aged, divorced American living in London struggling toward an understanding of fulfillment and love. One night he is awoken to discover a wounded crane in his backyard and after he removes an arrow from the gigantic bird’s wing, he finds his life turned upside down, for the very next day an enigmatic woman named Kumiko—who may just be the human embodiment of the crane George rescued—walks into his life. A tragic and compelling love story ensues, written with ethereal prose and a mysterious fairytale quality. Packed with vivid imagery and lyrical phrasing, this surreal novel overflows with raw emotion and timeless beauty.

Patrick Ness, the award-winning author of seven novels and a short story collection, is best known for his bestselling young adult novel A Monster Calls. Ness has been awarded the Carnegie Medal twice for his work and has been shortlisted for numerous other book awards. An American, Ness currently makes his home in London. He will appear at Boswell Book Co. at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 29.

Book Happening

Poetry Marathon

10 a.m.-1 a.m., Jan. 25-26

Woodland Pattern Book Center

720 E. Locust St.

2014 marks the 20th anniversary for Woodland Pattern’s Annual Poetry Marathon Benefit Reading. Scheduled this year on Saturday, Jan. 25, this well-regarded event will feature more than 100 artists performing live readings and original works. To participate, each performer had to raise at least $35 in pledges to support Woodland Pattern’s 2014 programming in literature and the arts. A complete list of performers can be found online at woodlandpattern.org.