Sabine, a magician's assistant, has spent twenty years working with Parsifal, a gay magician, and living with him in Los Angeles. When Parsifal dies suddenly, she discovers that the family he told her was dead is alive. His mother and sister live in Nebraska, and Sabine travels to meet them, learning that the man she loved had hidden his entire past. Patchett shows grief shifting into curiosity as Sabine finds new people who reflect pieces of Parsifal, and begins to rethink her own life.
Readers who enjoy quiet, emotional novels about loss and chosen families will appreciate its tender pacing. It asks what we really know about those closest to us, and how learning that we did not know everything can still leave room for love.
Inward-looking, contemplative and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Empathetic Explorer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1997
- ISBN
- 9781857028157
- Language
- EN
