Growing up in New York City, I never really experienced some of the phenomena that rural Americans encountered in their every-day lives. It was very late that I learned the term "Sunday driver" -- someone ambling along the road, in no particular hurry, and not evidencing any particular destination. We New Yorkers were always in a hurry, even when there was no rush.

And so I hereby introduce a new phrase: "Sunday writer." As you can guess, this is a writer in no particular hurry to get where he or she is going. I have been concerned for some time that Card was becoming a Sunday writer. While his books always seem to end with a bang, the road to that bang is often long and tedious.

Homebody is the story of a house and the man who purchases the house with the purpose of restoring it and selling it at a profit. Exciting stuff, eh? As he proceeds with his task, we learn more about this remarkable house, more about the man who built it and the woman for whom it was built, about the batty old ladies who live next door but seem to share some secrets about the house, and about the squatter who's been living in that house for nearly a decade.

We come to understand that we're dealing, not with a house, but with an entity that lives and breathes. Slowly, methodically, Card weaves the lives of his characters together, spinning a web of supernatural intrigue and very human emotional entanglements. And in the center of it is this house.

I enjoyed the book, but thought that Card could have been more spare in his prose. His "Sunday writing" has been evident in other recent works; I nearly didn't finish "Treasure Box" as I grew more impatient with his seemingly-endless meanderings, few having any impact on the plot.

I'm always looking for some parallels to Mormonism in all of Card's books. Whether conscious or not, it seems that his religious beliefs are somehow reflected in his fictional writing. If any of you have read "Homebody," I'd be interested in discussing whether you saw any reflections of LDS belief and/or polity in the book.

Homebody is a good story, and builds to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. When you're in the mood for a "Sunday read," pick it up.

... nfx v3.1 jeff.needle@general.com