Most accomplished debut novels nowadays smack the reader about
the head with precociousness. The only precocious thing about
Wodicka’s debut is the title: All Shall Be Well; and All Shall Be
Well; and All Manner of Things Shall Be Well. It concerns a
63-year-old medieval-reenactor with a giant, freakishly misshapen
nose, in search of his prodigal son. Well is a near-perfect
debut, written with a big heart and the rare ability to magically
sidestep cliché. (Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main
St, 624-6600. 7:30 pm, free.)