The Deptford Trilogy
By Robertson Davies

My sister told me to get this trilogy—she gives me lists of things to read about every six weeks. The first novel begins with two boys in a Canadian village who are rivals: the son of a not-very-successful publisher and one who "had a special place in our school world… He had once been to Toronto to the Exhibition, and altogether breathed a larger air than the rest of us." It's a mystery in three parts, based on an event that has profound effects on several generations. I'm not quite done with it, but I'm determined to finish.