As a poor cabbie and his wife eke out a meager existence in Victorian London, their little boy, Diamond—named after his father's horse—is befriended by the North Wind. While Diamond learns much about life through his travels with North Wind, his visit to the country at her "back" proves to be transformative. As life in London grows especially hard, that moment provides Diamond with the resources to touch those around him with beauty and truth. Although At the Back of the North Wind was written for children, in it MacDonald deals with deep themes, especially the potential for suffering to be redemptive, and the meaning of death. George MacDonald (died 2008) was a significant literary figure of the 20th century. Their work has endured across generations and continues to be read and studied worldwide. Fantastical literature has always allowed writers to explore human truths through the lens of the impossible and the magical. At The Back Of The North Wind draws on mythology, folklore, and pure invention to construct a world that illuminates our own.
