Synopses & Reviews
Eleven-year-old Clara is struggling to find the truth about her missing father and grandfather and her dead twin sister, but her mother refuses to talk. When Clara begins interviewing Georg Kominsky--her elderly neighbor--she finds that he is equally reticent about his own concealed history. Precocious and imaginative, Clara invents versions of Mr. Kominsky’s past, just as she invents lives for the people missing from her own shadowy history. Her journey of discovery is at the heart of this beautiful story about unlikely friendship and communion, about discovering what matters most in life, and about the search to find the missing pieces of ourselves.
Review
"At once witty, tender, funny, touching, and, by end, tragic in a way that perfectly brings all to a close, if never to an end. Bound for success, or else the world has gone mad." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"[G]raceful....With a mix of deadpan humor and pathos, McGhee perfectly captures the voice of a sensitive, wise child on the cusp of adulthood, at once knowing and naive." Publishers Weekly
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"Suspenseful and moving." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Full of unforgettable, rich characters, McGhee's second novel will move many readers by its beauty and simplicity and by its implicit hopefulness. Highly recommended." Library Journal
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"McGhee's work, full of contrasts and transformations, is a strong, solid novel with quiet feminist undertones. Virginia Woolf would be proud." Michelle Kaske, Booklist
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"Perfectly constructed and beautifully written." The Dallas News
Review
"McGhee writes about childhood and old age with equal skill and grace. Poignant and bittersweet, her novel has life on every page." William Gay, author of Provinces of Night and I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down
Synopsis
Eleven-year-old Clara is struggling to find the truth about her missing father and grandfather and her dead twin sister, but her mother refuses to talk. When Clara begins interviewing Georg Kominsky--her elderly neighbor--she finds that he is equally reticent about his own concealed history. Precocious and imaginative, Clara invents versions of Mr. Kominskys past, just as she invents lives for the people missing from her own shadowy history. Her journey of discovery is at the heart of this beautiful story about unlikely friendship and communion, about discovering what matters most in life, and about the search to find the missing pieces of ourselves.
About the Author
Alison McGhee was awarded the Great Lakes College Association New Writers Award for her first novel,
Rainlight. Born and reared in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, she currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.