“A mesmerizing debut at once sorrowful, intimate, and optimistic . . . Told in crisp and lyrical prose and a nontraditional narrative that shifts between first- and third-person, Backhaus’s novel is courageous and spare, an enthralling success.” —Booklist, starred review “[A] strange and tender debut novel . . . His writing, which is as clear and direct as flowing ... Read morewater, convincingly portrays the deepening connection between Thomas and Megumi.” —The Wall Street Journal “This is one remarkable debut.” —The Toronto Star “Tender and deftly rendered.”—Arkansas Democrat Gazette “The book is . . . written deeply, cleanly, sparely and gently, like fingers playing over the strings of a harp. Jeff Backhaus has apparently worked at many jobs, but it seems that he has now found his vocation.”—St. Louis Post Dispatch “Listen to the music of this novel closely. It is the sound of genius. To miss it would be to miss a story that will change the way you feel about your own life.”—Robert Goolrick, author of A Reliable Wife “Required reading.” —The New York Post Show Less