THE GARDEN OF LOST AND FOUND

"There is so much to say about this novel that the only way to begin is to draw a conclusion: it is brilliant.

That said, its properties and attributes can be explained. Peck is a tough, outspoken literary critic ...and a provocative novelist ... His latest work of fiction is beautifully articulated; this writer appreciates language not for its tricks but for its power to genuinely stir heart and mind.

Thematically, the novel is about finding yourself; in plot, it follows the exploits of a 21-year-old man, orphaned and having lived from pillar to post across the country, who inherits from the mother he never knew a large townhouse in New York City's Lower Manhattan, in other words, a real-estate gold mine. James Ramsay, who is gay, believes himself to be infected with AIDS. His tenure in the Big Apple is truly at the mercy of the group of characters he rather inherits as the new owner of the house, including the building's only tenant, an elderly black woman.

The intricately worked out story line is rich in human concerns: survival (food and shelter, that is) and respect and love. Ensconced in his new home, but for how long he does not know (remember, he believes himself gravely ill), James' primary focus is to learn about his mother and possibly even determine who his father is.

This busy, compulsive novel, a deeply human and humanizing book, gathers lush detail as it gains speed." - Booklist, *Starred Review*