The Welsh Sonata is a romantic, lyrical tale about a missing man, whose inexplicable departure from a tiny, locked-in village haunts the conscience of many and draws out the bardic talents of a few. The real subject of the book is a living and omnipresent network of private fantasies hoarded against the deprivations of a wilderness. Hanley conjures drama out of the seemingly endless inflections of a spare assortment of phrases and images that bring home "how far a word will go, how deep, or how high it can climb." (pp. 94-5)
Hanley's lulling, plainsong prose leads one gently but effectively into several unenviably bleak lives, redeemed by their private order and inner resourcefulness. (p. 95)
Laura Mathews, in The Atlantic Monthly (copyright © 1978 by The Atlantic Monthly Company, Boston, Mass.; reprinted with permission), December, 1978.
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Read the rest of this Criticism with our Hanley, James 1901–: Critical Essay by Laura Mathews Access Pass.
