First, I must acknowledge the incredibly beautiful book cover created for this narrative gem by Nora Faircloth. Honestly, that is what first drew me in. Second, immediately upon beginning the book—within the first few pages, actually—I realized I was in the hands of a true master craftsman. Indeed, I was astonished by the amount of descriptive emotion contained in such perfectly concise sentences. It is a major feat to embed such a wealth of information in so few words; only a great craftsman accomplishes that while wooing the reader with deceptively quiet, soothing, seductive words. I’m saying this book is a writer’s dream, reminding those who do this for a living why they do so in the first place: because reading is such an overwhelming passion. Nora Faircloth is an exquisite author whom one will instantly choose to follow. I did.

I want to offer a quoted moment—a character’s perception—from this masterfully nuanced book to illustrate my comment about “deceptively quiet, soothing, seductive words” because it is not just the words that are so expertly crafted but the character revelation they illustrate so clearly and concisely:

            “The not-looking-up was a thing one only did with a person whose movements one had already decided were not going to require management. Mareth had not, on her own behalf, been on the inside of a not-looking-up in some time.”

I shall not talk about the plot. That would dissipate the spell that overtakes—then consumes—the unsuspecting reader. It is not that the plot is insignificant—quite the opposite—but it seems to be evoked rather than constructed; to talk about it here would disrobe the story of its simple, elegant raiment, which quietly adorns the reader who walks dreamlike through this literary marvel. Words can do that. In the hands of a master craftsman, words may do so impeccably, and a reader’s gift is born.