Subject: CAMBIO BAY by Kate Wilhelm: a review

From: slewis@!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Sarah L Lewis)
Date: 25 Nov 91 19:57:20 GMT

CAMBIO BAY by Kate Wilhelm:  a review

	Cambio Bay, California, population 203, is a place of changes.
For five people left stranded in the coastal town due to an unexpected
landslide, however, these changes are not always for the better.  Carolyn
Engleman is a no-nonsense real estate agent returning home from an
unsuccessful ranch appraisal.  Boise Wilkes, hiding from family tragedy, is
a man Carolyn rescues after his car is lost in the slide.  Iris Lathan, on
the run from drug traffickers who believe her mute daughter was witness to
one of their deals, finds sanctuary in Cambio Bay with her five-
year-old, Bonnie.  And Harold Ritchie, an academic type on sabbatical,
finds in the town's calmness an ideal setting for his research.
	All five are forced to wait out the storm in Miss Luisa's Guest 
House, a huge, labyrinthine structure whose hallways and passages
change upon each entrance.  But it is Miss Luisa herself who is the
most intriguing character of all.  To some she appears a kindly, well-
preserved matron of ninety, while to others she is their beautiful
middle-aged proprietress.  While the storm's refugees are drawn together
for comfort and by necessity, each night they are entertained by 
succeeding chapters of a Native American creation myth.  It is a
neverending tale, rich in symbolism, which Miss Luisa seems to know 
just a bit too well... or does she?  It is a place where only the
invited are welcomed, something unbeknownst to the men chasing the 
Lathans, to the local townspeople, and to the five themselves.  
	Wilhelm has an excellent eye for detail, for I was easily
able to picture the colorful sparseness of the California countryside.
The regional mythology is a powerful background force which serves to
root the plot firmly in the earth.  Only the ending left me a bit 
disappointed, for I would have liked to have known more about the 
characters' futures.  This is a minor point, however.  Although 
marketed as mainstream fiction, enough elements of the unexpected
are present to satisfy the most discriminating fantasy audience.
Though published last year, I only discovered this book recently.
If you can't find it in your local bookstore, check your library;
I would recommend seeking it out.

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Copyright (c) 1991 by Sarah L. Lewis

	%A Wilhelm, Kate
	%T Cambio Bay
	%I St. Martin's Press
	%C New York
	%D 1990
	%G ISBN 0-312-03800-3
	%P 294 pp
	%O hardcover, US$17.95