Education of Uncle Paul - Algernon Blackwood

Published in 1909, this novel tells the story of Paul Waters, who returns to England, his family and responsibility after living in the Canadian wilderness for twenty years. When he moves in with his widowed sister Margaret and her three children, feeling awkward in adult company and little more than a boy inside, Uncle Paul tries hard to be sensible and mature. Alas, the children spot his childlike nature immediately, love him enthusiastically, and include him on their many "aventures" around the estate, taking him "through the crack" with them to other realms of awareness, and asking him to write "Aventure" stories about what they share together. The novel explores in a charming way, the themes of imagination, grief, loss, time, love, inspiration, the interconnectivity of all things psychical and material, and the search for meaning in life. Algernon brings his own life experiences as mystic, philosopher and outdoorsman into this novel, making it somewhat autobiographical.