John Crowley’s Little, Big is a richly layered fantasy novel that intricately weaves together the lives of the Drinkwater family across multiple generations. At its heart is Smoky Barnable, an unassuming man who embarks on a journey to Edgewood, a mysterious estate nestled in the countryside, to marry Daily Alice Drinkwater. Unbeknownst to him, his new family is deeply entwined with an enigmatic and ever-unfolding Tale—one that connects them to a hidden world of faerie, existing just beyond the edges of ordinary perception.
As Smoky becomes enmeshed in the Drinkwaters’ peculiar traditions and cryptic prophecies, he slowly realizes that their fate is interwoven with forces both human and otherworldly. Over time, political and metaphysical shifts shape their destinies, drawing them further into a grand, elusive narrative that they can only glimpse in fragments.
With its blend of magical realism, mythology, and lyrical prose, Little, Big offers a meditation on love, destiny, and the fluid boundaries between reality and enchantment. Crowley crafts a novel that is as intricate as it is mesmerizing, inviting readers into a world where the extraordinary quietly permeates the everyday.
John Crowley’s Little, Big is a sweeping, multi-generational fantasy that follows the enigmatic Drinkwater family and their intricate connection to an unfolding Tale—one that binds their fates to a hidden world of faerie. At the novel’s center is Smoky Barnable, an unassuming man who embarks on a journey to Edgewood, an architecturally impossible house nestled in upstate New York, to marry Daily Alice Drinkwater. Edgewood serves as a threshold between the ordinary world and the realm of faerie, where the Drinkwaters live under the guidance of cryptic prophecies, sensing that they are part of a grand, preordained narrative.
Daily Alice, her sister Sophie, their parents Violet and John Drinkwater, and the eccentric Auberon Drinkwater each experience the mystical in different ways, though the full scope of their role in the Tale remains elusive. As Smoky becomes part of the family, he gradually perceives the subtle, unseen forces that shape their lives. The Drinkwaters possess an intuitive but incomplete awareness of the faerie world, an influence that lingers just beyond their grasp, quietly directing their choices and relationships.
The story expands to follow Auberon Barnable, the son of Smoky and Daily Alice, as he navigates a dreamlike version of New York City, where themes of love, loss, and destiny echo the greater movements of the Tale. His experiences, including his ill-fated romance with Sylvie, parallel the mystical undercurrents that have long surrounded his lineage, suggesting that history and magic are converging toward an inevitable transformation.
Back at Edgewood, the family’s connection to the faerie realm deepens, heightening their sense of anticipation for an event they cannot fully comprehend. As the boundaries between reality and faerie blur, the Drinkwaters come to understand that they are part of a vast, cyclical story—one that demands their participation but forever withholds complete understanding.
With its lyrical prose and intricate narrative structure, Little, Big is both an intimate family saga and an epic meditation on destiny, love, and the passage of time. Blending magical realism, mythology, and a profound exploration of storytelling itself, Crowley crafts a novel that is at once deeply personal and cosmic in scale, inviting readers into a world where the extraordinary is woven seamlessly into the fabric of the everyday.
John Crowley’s Little, Big was published in 1981 after years of careful crafting and world-building. By then, Crowley had already established himself as a writer of speculative fiction, but with this novel, he wove together elements of fantasy, magical realism, and literary fiction, drawing inspiration from folklore, mythology, and the works of authors like Lewis Carroll and Gabriel García Márquez. The first edition was released by Bantam Books, and over the years, the novel has been reprinted in various formats, including a 25th-anniversary edition featuring illustrations by Peter Milton.
Upon its release, Little, Big was met with widespread critical acclaim, celebrated for its intricate prose, thematic richness, and unique storytelling. It won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1982 and was nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, solidifying its place in the literary fantasy genre. Over time, the novel developed a dedicated following, with many readers and critics considering it one of the finest fantasy novels ever written.
Despite remaining somewhat niche, Little, Big has left a lasting impact, influencing numerous writers and continuing to be cherished for its dreamlike atmosphere, layered narrative, and meditative exploration of time, destiny, and family. Its reputation has only grown over the decades, cementing its status as a landmark in literary fantasy.
Leave a Reply