I've been appreciating Ann Patchett more and more in recent times - for her work as a bookshop owner and her posts and recommendations on Instagram, as well as her writing. I was excited about this new book and was thrilled to have an early reading copy. And I loved it so much that as soon as it's published, I'll probably read it again so that I can appreciate it anew with everyone else.

It's a beautiful, tender, whimsical story which unfolds slowly and surprisingly. It is beautifully crafted and, though poignant, feels magical and other-worldly in some way.

Daphne notices an older man following her an art gallery in New York and comes to find that it's Eddie, her former stepfather. He had been married to her mother for a short time when she was a child and she hasn't seen him for many years.

As the two get to know each other again, and slowly rebuild their trust and confidences, we learn of the event which changed their lives. Daphne too comes to realise that all was not as she's come to believe over all these years.

As they consider their past, they also appreciate the present and look to the future together. 

It's wonderful! It's about family, love and memory. It is about being known by someone. And the way the story, and the relationship between Daphne and Eddie is revealed, is astonishing. It's so clever and so natural, and just so beautiful! I loved it.