In a West Virginia forest in 1963, a group of children at summer camp enter a foreboding Eden and experience an unexpected rite of passage. Shelter is an astonishing portrayal of an American loss of innocence as witnessed by a mysterious drifter named Parson, two young sisters, Lenny and Alma, and a feral boy called Buddy. Together they come to understand bravery and the importance of compassion.
Phillips unearths a dangerous beauty in this primeval terrain and in the hearts of her characters. Lies, secrets, erotic initiations, and the bonds of love between friends, families, and generations are transformed in a leafy wilderness undiminished by societal rules and dilemmas. Cast in Phillips’ stunning prose, with an unpredictable cast of characters and a shadowy, suspenseful narrative, Shelter is a an enduring achievement from one of the finest writers of our time.
- ISBN10 0395488907
- ISBN13 9780395488904
- Publish Date 20 September 1995 (first published 1 January 1994)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 21 June 2021
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Houghton Mifflin
- Imprint Houghton Mifflin (Trade)
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 279
- Language English