In a dazzling literary fantasy akin to the work of Nghi Vo and often compared to John Connolly’ s The Book of Lost Things, step into a world that parallels our own, during a war that parallels World War II, and be prepared to fall in love with this gorgeous and lyrical Realm Award-winning novel.A young boy's serene summer day is shattered by the crash of a bullet-riddled enemy plane. Further disrupting the tranquility are the arrival of Grandmother’ s strange and unusual friend Mr. Girandole, and the discovery of a riddle in the sacred grove of ruins behind Grandmother’ s house. In a sumptuous idyllic setting and overshadowed by the threat of war, four unlikely allies learn  the values of courage,  sacrifice, and what it means to be a family.This 10th anniversary edition of A Green and Ancient Light includes an introduction by the author and a conversation with the editor who helped launch Durbin's novel-writing career.