• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us
    • Our Advertisers
  • Distribution Locations
  • Past Issues

The Denver North Star

Your Guide to Community, Politics, Arts and Culture in North Denver

Hot off the Presses!
Check out the Mar 15 – Apr 14 issue here.

  • Community
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Arts
  • Dining
  • Community Calendar
  • Become a Member

Checking Out – The Boy in the Field

October 13, 2020 By Hannah Evans Leave a Comment

columnist Hannah Evans

Walking home from school one autumn day in their idyllic British town, siblings Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan encounter a scene that fundamentally changes each of them in differing ways. As the trio passes a field, Zoe spots something out of the ordinary; “she had a gift for finding things: birds’ nests, their mother’s calculator, a missing book, a secret.” Lying in the grass is a boy, barely older than them, who appears to have been attacked. The boy recovers, but what happened and who is responsible remains a mystery as the three Lang children come to terms with what they experienced as well as parts of themselves previously unknown.

Margot Livesey’s new novel, “The Boy in the Field” (2020, Harper Collins), is a page-turner that investigates the mystery of the boy, Karel’s, attack, while beautifully developing memorable characters. Duncan, the youngest Lang sibling, is a kind, observant, talented artist. Unlike his brother and sister, he is adopted, and when his birth mother appears to him in a dream shortly after the events of the field, he is determined to find and meet her. Zoe, sixteen, begins experiencing out-of-body moments and is drawn to pursue a man she comes across somewhat randomly while walking down the street, leading to an unexpected and surprising outcome. 

Matthew, the oldest Lang, becomes invested in solving Karel’s case as he juggles the common stresses of being a senior. While he faces the prospect of graduation and navigating close relationships, Matthew confides in the case’s detective: “Since that afternoon in the field, everything’s been different… I thought if we could find the man, if I knew why he did what he did, things would go back to normal. Or I’d understand why they were different.” The detective, however, gets to the heart of the novel while explaining to Matthew: “you’re wrestling with the problem of evil. I’m twice your age, and I’m still wrestling with it. Nothing prepares one for the discovery that there are people who have no conscience.”

Though the premise of a young man’s attack and the mystery surrounding it is a bit dark, Livesey’s writing and introspective look at each of her characters creates a coming of age story that contains depth as well as charm. The small town in which the Langs live is unironically pleasant – the older siblings enjoy their after school jobs, their family dog interjects with loyalty and care at all the right moments, and the parents, while facing challenges of their own, are supportive and loving. The unabashed sweetness of the novel is never overly saccharine, however. Livesey demonstrates a simple, yet difficult to grasp, reality: both terrible and wonderful things can happen without reason.

Check out “The Boy in the Field” at your closest Denver Public Library location or as an ebook or eaudiobook through denverlibrary.com.

Hannah Evans is the senior librarian at the Smiley Branch of the Denver Public Library.

Filed Under: Arts and Culture, Checking Out Book Reviews

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates about The Denver North Star, your new guide to community, politics, arts and culture in North Denver.

Community Events

The Denver North Star community calendar is coming back! We’ve updated our form to better accept physical and virtual events, as well as to collect additional information possible attendees would like to know.

Please use our new form to submit your event!

Apr 17 2021

North Side Market at Monkey Barrel Bar

Apr 17 2021

Cabaret Karaoke: Cooped Up Edition

Apr 19 2021

‘Hug Your Dog’ Hygiene Drive

Apr 20 2021

Walking Tour of West Colfax with Phil Goodstein

Apr 20 2021

Berkeley Regis United Neighbors (BRUN) Monthly Meeting

No event found!
Load More

Connect With Us

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Keep Up With Us

The Denver North Star

Recent Comments

  • Burt Smiley on North Denver Artist Opens Exhibit Space in LoHi
  • Kay Taylor on Clorinda Trujillo: 101 Years of Family, Friendships, Laughing, Dancing
  • carol ehrlich on Clorinda Trujillo: 101 Years of Family, Friendships, Laughing, Dancing
  • Kathryn White on A Regis University Student’s Guide to Denver Dining
  • Lori cales on Highland COVID Survivor, Mom Starts Business To Deliver Books
  • Meg Thornton on Co-Ownership Company Eyes North Denver
  • Mary Lou Egan on Clorinda Trujillo: 101 Years of Family, Friendships, Laughing, Dancing

Our Columnists

  • Educator and mom Jill Carstens writes about parenting in her column, Letters from Miss Jill.
  • Librarian Hannah Evans discusses great reads in her Checking Out: Book Reviews column.
  • Dennis Gallagher tells all in his column, Shaping Our Future by Remembering Our Past.
  • Erika Taylor advocates for community wellness in her Taylored Fitness columns.
  • Kathryn White focuses on issues of interest to older adults in her column, The Gray Zone.
  • District 1 Community Resource Officer Bob Anderson focuses on public safety issues in his monthly column.

Our Archives

  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019

All Categories

  • Arts and Culture
  • Cannabis
  • Checking Out Book Reviews
  • Community
  • Community Voices
  • Coronavirus News
  • Denver North Star News
  • Dining
  • Editorial
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Featured
  • Globeville
  • Guest Column
  • Health
  • Legislature
  • Local Dining
  • Opinion
  • Parenting
  • Politics
  • Public Safety
  • Shaping Our Future by Remembering Our Past
  • Student Voices
  • Taylored Fitness
  • The Gray Zone
  • Transportation
  • Uncategorized

Copyright © 2021 · All Rights Reserved