'The Accidental,' by Ali Smith

The New York Times/ The Book of the Times

January 27, 2006

There Enters a Stranger, and a Family Finds Its Prism
By MICHIKO KAKUTANI

The plot sounds like one of those old folktales, in which a stranger knocks on the door of a house and asks for shelter from the storm — or says he has lost his way or claims he's an expected guest. His arrival is a test of generosity or gullibility or gumption, and it will forever change the lives of the occupants of the house.

A variation on this plot was used by Jean Renoir in his 1932 film "Boudu Saved From Drowning" and by Paul Mazursky in "Down and Out in Beverly Hills," his 1986 remake of "Boudu." Another variation was used by Pier Paolo Pasolini in his 1968 movie "Teorema," starring Terence Stamp as the mysterious stranger who seduces nearly everyone in the house before exiting their lives.

The Terence Stamp character in Ali Smith's dynamic if flawed new novel, "The Accidental," is a beautiful 30-ish woman who calls herself Amber. She appears at the country house that a London couple named the Smarts have rented for the summer, and she promptly insinuates herself into the family's daily routines.

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