The Pale Surface of Things

A fast-moving novel in a Cretan village—kidnaps and killings, prayers and healing, ethics and ritual, and a darned good tale...

Janey Bennett's acute observation of details in nature and people provides a vibrant background to her story. She spent seven years researching and writing The Pale Surface of Things, including studying Minoan culture and art, Byzantine icon painting, the botany and geology of Crete, and the rituals of a village Greek Orthodox Church. Her writings on architecture have been published in the United States and Finland, where she held a Fulbright research fellowship. A cellist, freelance editor, and author, Bennett divides her time between Hornby Island BC Canada and Bellingham Washington USA.