"Lark and Termite"

In a bookstore yesterday, I saw that the novel "Lark and Termite" (Knopf, 2009), by Jayne Anne Phillips, is now in paperback (Vintage, 2010). Seeing the stack of paperback copies reminded me of how much I liked this compelling novel when I read it last year, despite having had some mixed feelings about Phillips' writing in the past. I believe it is her best book so far. It is the story of Termite, a little boy who is very disabled yet has a striking personality and loving temperament, and Lark, his nine-years-older half-sister who loves him dearly and is his main caregiver. Their bond is extremely close, made closer by the fact that they have few reliable and available adults in their lives. Their aunt does as much as she can, but she works long hours to support them and thus is gone most of the time. There is also a powerful back story about Termite's father, who was a soldier in Korea, and whom Termite never met. This is a truly original novel, as well as a moving one, with strong characters, and a sad but inspiring story.