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In this year of unspeakable loss, it feels uncouth to recommend the story of a loss that is literally unspeakable. But hear me out, because Michel Faber’s new novel is a strange delight �� particularly if you have a child around to share it with.

There has always been an element of innocence in Faber’s work, though it has often felt overwhelmed by horror and suffering. Now, though, he has made good on his vow to give up writing for adults and published “D (A Tale of Two Worlds),�� which gives full voice to his gentle wit and mischievous spirit. With its buoyant sense of wonder, “D�� is a novel graciously indebted to the fantasies of C.S. Lewis, James Thurber and Norton Juster, along with the characters of Charles Dickens. The result is a rare book that mature readers will appreciate on one level while younger readers enjoy on another.

Our heroine is Dhikilo, an observant 13-year-old girl living with her adopted family in an English town. There are other immigrants around, but she’s the only one from Somaliland. Dhikilo knows almost nothing of her war-torn birthplace, except that it’s an actual region and not, as so many kindly White people keep telling her, a mispronunciation of Somalia. She bears this and other racial microaggressions politely, but she’s determined to learn more about her origins, which is Faber’s subtle way of blending an ancient quest tale with co. . . .

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post: