REVIEWS

“Witty, tender, and conceptually dazzling, Galchen’s metaphysical tale of longing, grief, love, and the volatility of the self gracefully charts the tempestuous weather of the human psyche.”—Booklist (starred review)

“[An] enthralling debut....heartbreaking and maddening....Don’t be surprised if this gives you a Crying of Lot 49 nostalgia hit.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A]n intricate puzzle powered by an urgently beating heart....A superb first novel."—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Galchen's intriguing and sophisticated first novel has a startling premise and unique characters, all ably interpreted by Hillgartner. His rich baritone is perfect for the obsessed Liebenstein and, surprisingly, equally effective for the female characters. His real achievement, though, is portraying the transformation of the psychiatrist as he argues with himself that his increasingly bizarre observations are scientifically valid and that his wife is really not herself.”—Booklist (audio review)

"Galchen's astonishing debut is rich in detail and scientific exploration and a kind of dreamy psychological dissembling that keeps the reader as baffled as Leo right to the end. This dense, brilliant novel should be much in demand."—Library Journal

RIVKA GALCHEN earned her medical degree at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed a residency in psychiatry and also completed her MFA at Columbia University, where she was a Robert Bingham fellow. She has published essays in The Believer and Scientific American, and in 2006 she was awarded a Rona Jaffe Writers Award.