David James Duncan’s new novel, Sun House, defies any kind of simple or neat description; its length is daunting (over 700 pages) and the subject matter is challenging, but with determination you will be rewarded with an unforgettable story. By turns intriguing and disturbing, maddeningly complex and simply brilliant, confusing and enlightening, hilarious and deeply moving, the book leads you on a journey unlike any other Duncan has ever attempted. He weaves an amazing tapestry of myriad lives and loves, making you question how in the world he is going to connect such disparate characters…a grizzled Portland street mystic (my favorite character), a Sanskrit-loving but troubled young woman, several cowboys of Western Montana, a former Jesuit priest turned restaurateur, and one very psychologically damaged young Shakespearean actor, to name but a few. David James Duncan once again shows his skill in capturing the richness and complexity of the human character, the overwhelming beauty of the natural world, and the soul’s ongoing search for meaning and purpose. Sun House combines an environmental manifesto, Indigenous wisdom, Christian mysticism, Buddhist philosophy, Sanskrit teachings, and spiritual awakening, to move its characters and the reader from confusion and despair to a place of redemption, healing, and hope.
–Val, Vintage Books, Vancouver, WA
Whatever the weather, you can find “sun” in a local, independent bookstore like Vintage Books!