Tanglewreck (review)
Buy Issue for $25 at JHUP- Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct
In an England where time has become a salable commodity and strange temporal tornadoes mix the past and present, eleven-year-old Silver takes comfort in the sturdy old mansion, Tanglewreck, that keeps her safe and reminds her of her parents and sisters who were lost years before. Silver is unaware of an heirloom, the Timekeeper, that is hidden in the house, but its presence is known to various others, including the dangerous Abel Darkwater, the even more terrifying Regalia Mason, and the protective Throwbacks, people who live underground and who are ready to help Silver when she needs it. With at least two villains on the hunt for the Timekeeper, sudden temporal shifts that leave Silver stranded on the Einstein Line where there is no time, and Silver's ignorance of what the Timekeeper is and how to protect it, the stage is set for a breathtaking adventure. Gothic details, sci-fi mania, and hints of breathless romance combine beautifully in Winterson's first novel for young readers. In addition, a near-perfect balance of humor and adventure tempers the occasionally intense creepiness and propels readers through the potentially confusing mix of eras, settings, and characters necessary in a book about the sudden wobbliness of time. Any reader who has ever thought about the weirdness of arranging lives around the human divisions of time will be enthralled by this exploration of what happens when those constructs are disrupted.
