Charles De Lint is a wonderful author, and Onion Girl is a nice addition to his collection of tales about the city of Newford, an American anycity where magic and ancient spirits live in parallel to the rest of us, if only we could learn to see it.

Onion Girl tackles some ugly issues, child abuse and how the choices abused children make in response to abuse affect their lives. It’s an optimistic story, in the end, holding the idea that if people try to help, to heal, and to make good choices, they can have happy and productive lives. But it also examines vengeance and anger, and how those choices can spiral on and on, beyond our ability to imagine.