Duncton Wood

A young man's coming-of-age story set in a fictional English village, where he discovers a hidden magical realm and a portal to a parallel world — this is classic portal fantasy with a strong coming-of-age arc. The tone is atmospheric and lyrical rather than gritty, and the plot is driven by a mystery (the portal, the mysterious woman) rather than combat, so mystery and adventure fit better than any action-oriented genre. No romance or violence is a central plot device, so those tropes are absent.