Miles, his wife Kate, and their two children relocate from an urban California city to a small college town in rural Vermont when Kate gets a one-year visiting professorship. Miles, a bit of a dreamer, is a stay-at-home dad, ostensibly working on his PhD dissertation. At age forty-five, after eleven different dissertation topic attempts, he is now drawn to Russian folktales as a sure-fire topic. Alas, he is soon diverted from his task by a group of local characters who convince him that the earth is hollow and that there is a cave leading to an underground world — if only they could find it. Miles soon comes to believe there may be some truth to the local legend and enthusiastically joins the hunt for it.
As the months pass and the seasons change, the family gradually settles into their new life, trying to shed their urban ways and become Country People.
This is a study in family dynamics and the lengths people will go to "fit in." I loved the Hollow Earth characters, who are so dedicated to their mission that they don't see its absurdity. Miles is a big-hearted character who tilts at windmills. Although North Woods is still my favorite Daniel Mason book, this, in its own quirky way, is also very good.
4/5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is July 7, 2026.
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