Dream Angus

August 21, 2006
The bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels and the 44 Scotland Street novels has always included one-offs and detours in his oeuvre (including The Criminal Law of Botswana
). Here, he turns in an elegant contemporary reworking of the ancient Celtic myth of the dream-giver god, Angus, familiar from Yeats's poetry. Lovely, fair Angus is the son of the terrible club-wielding god, Dagda, who sired the boy by ravishing the lovely water nymph Boann. The young boy who charms birds and inspires marvelous dreams is soon snatched from his mother and raised by Dagda's other son, the grown Midir. After some trials, Angus eventually learns who his true father is and tricks Dagda into relinquishing power. Smith fluidly weaves in contemporary vignettes of the dream god's benevolent influence, touching the lives of honeymooners on a windswept northern island; of a teenage boy sent away to boarding school in Scotland who tricks his mother into revealing who his true father is; and of a Toronto woman bereft at the discovery that her husband is having an affair. Angus, who presides over love and youth is also, it turns out, kindly to pigs. He is nicely reimagined in this spare, polished work.

October 23, 2006
Angus is a god of dreams and love, and the Celtic mythology spun around his life and acts is cherished in both Ireland and Scotland. Clearly aware of the ramifications of taking sides, Page delivers his narration in a studiously neutral British voice. However, it is no surprise that the Scottish Smith, who currently writes two Edinburgh-based series, sets the five contemporary stories that parallel Angus's life in Scotland. For these sections, Page rolls out a hearty Scottish brogue and performs the characters in a lively fashion. Page is less successful with the narrative voice itself. The story is told from the perspective of Angus's mother, Boann, a water nymph. The peacefulness and sweetness of mother and son, combined with Page dropping his voice for the end of each sentence, might lull the listener into the dream state so favored by Angus. Nevertheless, this is one audio the entire family can listen to: it's perfect for a long winter evening by the fire with some hot cocoa. Simultaneous release with the Canongate hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 21).