Daniel Mason returns to the New England landscape with Country People, a fantastical journey through family and folklore that serves as a witty, uplifting, and gorgeously written follow-up to his 2023 acclaimed novel North Woods.
Moving the setting from Massachusetts to Vermont, this latest work shifts from a multi-century historical exploration to a deep dive into literature, myths, and the fundamental human drive to uncover hidden meanings.
Narrative and Setting
The novel follows Miles Krzelewski, a 45-year-old husband and father who relocates his family from California to a faraway forest in Vermont after his wife, Kate, a Milton scholar, accepts a visiting professorship.
Accompanying them are their children, Wesley and Olive, and their truffle-hunting Italian dog, Giuseppe.
While the transition brings a charmed life filled with pristine nature, affordable lemonade stands, and grass baseball fields, Miles struggles to remain fully grounded.
Supposed to finish his 12-year overdue PhD dissertation on Russian folktales, Miles instead becomes captivated by the local countryside and its colorful inhabitants.
He soon encounters a series of picturesque eccentric characters, including a local exterminator known as the "Rat Man of Vermont," a biochemist turned orchardist who practices scything, a snowflake photographer on a scooter, and a trekking guide named Hugh who claims the Earth is hollow and contains a portal to an underground world first discovered by a 19th-century pastor.
Literary Execution and Value
Mason masterfully prevents the fantastical elements and whimsy from collapsing by securing the narrative with solid foundations and deeply interconnected literary roots.
Drawing inspiration from classic texts ranging from Milton and Shakespeare to Tolstoy, the prose mirrors the comic wit of Nabokov's Pnin.
The novel balances esoteric theories with mundane family dynamics, establishing itself as a joyous, layered reading experience that rewards readers the deeper they engage with it.
Gorgeous, witty, and uplifting prose that evokes classic comic masterpieces. Richly drawn and memorable eccentric supporting characters.
Strong narrative foundation that balances whimsical folklore with realistic family life.
The narrative structure is simpler and more linear compared to the ambitious multi-century scope of North Woods.
Country People is an exceptionally crafted novel perfect for readers who appreciate deeply layered literary fiction, folklore, and witty family dramas.
Daniel Mason successfully delivers a joyful, imaginative tale that proves to be entirely worth the read for both returning fans and new audiences alike.
