An unlikely hero, a loyal dog, a wild pony and an abandoned child
Thiel Book 1: One Foot in Front of the Other
The child lay in a slight depression in the road surface. The curls on her head were cold and so was her cheek, so she had been lying there crying for a while. Whose child was this and why was she lying outside in winter?
On the death of his beloved grandmother, Thiel leaves home with his sole companion, a dog, to find his inheritance. Inarticulate and considered little use by others, he carries his grandmother’s letter to a lawyer in the city of Goneton. Given a key to a mysterious house he travels from his birthplace to counties far away, meeting new companions along the way.
“This exquisitely written narrative tells the story of Thiel, a lonely, gentle boy who is rejected by a mother who cannot handle his imperfections. Lynne Pearl is a sensitive writer who uses beautiful language to reveal the beauty of the soul.”
Iris Jones Simantel, best-selling author of Far from the East End
A story of courage, of loyal animals, a loving grandmother, a death, a mourning, a secret inheritance, a dysfunctional family, a running away, a secret past, a mystery child, and most centrally a young hero’s journey into a far off country to find his true spiritual home.
All on the backdrop of a civilisation that challenges and creates outcasts, that threatens a way of life of traditional people. Go to a landscape at once beautiful, free and welcoming…the journey begins…
Get to know ‘Thiel’ the lost and challenged adolescent hero. And travel with him on his way.
“Pearl uses personification effectively to describe nature and the medieval-like surroundings of Thiel and his time. The characters are well developed. Thiel is a character you want to embrace and hug. The contrast between city and country and modern versus traditional is played out well. Looking forward to reading more of this series. Suitable for children in middle grades and young adults. Mature readers will find it quite entertaining as well.”
Barbara Ann on Goodreads
Lynne answers your questions
What the book is about
Thiel is about a hero’s journey – though not a hero in the usual sense of the word – not handsome or clever or quick or physical or intellectual – none of these. Thiel has no qualities that we stereotypically associate with a hero. He is learning disabled and this is his journey to find his inheritance and his companions on the way.
Who are the intended audience
The audience are those who love a mystery – a hero’s journey, a quest (as in the Holy Grail), a solution to societal ills.
Why it stands out from similar books
The hero is an anti hero, there is a vision, there is a call for societal change and a description of societies in the process of change and on the cusp of change.
Why I wrote it
Thiel is the search for a cure – written because we all search. I wanted to write in that sphere while bringing in love of home and ancient ways and the necessity of a spiritual vision to guide a life. The book is also about love of children.
I am moved by the dignity and grace of the people who grow our food, tend animals and how we treat them. I care about the animals that work by their side and who serve humankind with loyalty in their different ways. It is these values that I honour through Thiel’s disadvantage and I gave him animals to help him on his way to search for a cure.
Thiel is written as a search for a home and a search for a cure.
More in the Thiel Series
