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Synopsis
In this beautifully written fable, the late Paul Monette brings us the story of Renarda the Fox and Lapine the Rabbit, two female creatures who fall in love in an enchanted forest sanctuary. In the time present/time past of the forest where Renarda and Lapine live, things have taken an eerie turn. The witch, their leader and protector, has disappeared, leaving the animals alone but under "the Spell" that protects them from all outsiders, hunters and explorers alike. As the witch lies faded among the leaves, her longtime familiar the Great Horned Owl realizes that this is his chance to assume control of the forest. In the ominous, newly intolerant atmosphere of the Owl's new domain, the love between Renarda and Lapine is doubly condemned, for they are both female and of different species. Exiled into separate parts of the woods by the Owl's bumbling guards, the lovers despair over ever being reunited. When Albertus, an apprentice wizard chances upon the forest and realizes the dark circumstances of its inhabitants, he and the animals struggle to summon forth the forest's true benevolent force. Like many classic fairy tales, Sanctuary is a story of a love thwarted by evil and set free through acts of goodness. Like Paul Monette's previous acclaimed works, it illuminates, with subtlety and humor, the absurdity of society's arbitrary rules, and celebrates the liberating nature of every kind of love.