Much like another book I recently read, the main characters allowed inappropriate self-blame to get in the way of their familial relationship and responsibilities. Communicating about the difficult things in life is, well, difficult, but often, not communicating about them can lead to assumptions and misunderstandings that can cause even more harm. It took too long for the characters to get on with resolving their issues. I was ready to be done with the book long before it was over.

A long, intricate and deftly woven meditation on heritage and shame, from a sensitive writer with a skillful technique. The novel, however, seemed to me excessively in length and unevenly paced, leaving its core event till a late stage of development, after which the elements seem to fall rather too neatly and swiftly into place. Prior to that the melancholy tone can become stifling. A capable piece of work but not exactly a cherishable one.

Patrick's life in New York City revolves primarily around his work as an immigration attorney. He is largely unflappable and devoted to his clients. Peter rarely speaks to his mother, Ann, who now runs a retreat center in rural Vermont that she started with two other women after leaving Peter's father decades before. Although Ann wishes she and Peter were closer, she cannot imagine any other life than the one she has built for herself in the second part of her life.

But then a new client affects Peter in a way no previous case has done, causing him to grapple with an incident from his high school days that he has sought to put in his past. As Peter becomes increasingly unraveled, he seeks out his mother and they both must confront their shared past that they never discussed even as it drove a wedge between them.

This is a well-written and highly engaging story, providing a nuanced and insightful exploration of the relationships between parents and their children, the relationship between work and purpose, and how formative experiences can shape people in ways they often seek, unsuccessfully, to ignore.

Highly recommended!

There is a jarring continuity error on page 1. . In the first paragraph of the novel, “the lawyers consult their phones.” In the second paragraph “No one’s allowed to use their phones.” I’d appreciate whoever is reading this passing it along to the copy editors. I imagine there are other errors like this— inevitable in this kind of book with so many moving parts. I’ll write a full review later. Haslett is a wonderful writer.

A 40 year old, workaholic, gay immigration attorney lives a solitary and lonely life in Manhattan, estranged from his mother who founded and runs a woman’s retreat center in rural Vermont. His world is changed when an immigration client compels him to confront a violent event in his past and the secret that he and his mother share. Haslett once again brings us exceptional prose and character development as he explores complex relationships, human frailties, love, sense of self and, of course, parent-child dynamics.

As the first legit rating and review of Haslett's brilliant new novel, it delights me to be able to give it an unequivocable rave. Many thanks to Netgalley, Little Brown and Company, and the author for providing an ARC eBook copy, six months before publication, in exchange for this honest and enthusiastic review.

It's been eight long years since Haslett's last novel, the equally enthralling Imagine Me Gone, which was my favorite book of 2016; I was oddly enough wondering just recently what had happened to him, when I became aware of this new one - which was certainly worth the wait. Haslett has only published three books prior to this and has two Pulitzer Prize and two NBA nominations for those - and suspect this will also garner major awards notice and perhaps finally get him the accolades and awards he so richly deserves.

The story is in essence three separate strands, told in alternating sections: Peter, the MC, is a 40-year-old gay lawyer specializing in immigration and deportation cases, defending undocumented aliens, usually the victims of violence in their native lands, from facing extradition, who narrates his story in first person. The other major titular character is his mother Ann, whose story is told in omniscient third person, from whom Peter has been estranged for some 25 years; she and her partner Clare run a women's retreat center in Vermont, which Peter's derisive and snarky sister Liz refers to as 'lesbian camp'. The third strand is flashbacks to when Peter was an inquisitive 15 year-old, first becoming aware of his same-sex attraction, and his relationship with Jared, a beautiful older boy, that results in a devastating and shocking act that colors his entire life and is responsible for his estrangement from Ann.

Although the book is tightly plotted and thematically cohesive, as with most literary fiction, it is thoroughly character driven - and as well as Peter and Ann, it explores several other mother/son combinations: Peter's Albanian client Vasel and his protective mother; his Honduran client Sandra, and her son Felipe; Liz and her adorable 5-year-old rascal, Charlie; Jared and his intriguingly beautiful mother Susan; and even Peter's father Richard's own troubles with his mother.

I don't want to get into more specifics on the plot for danger of spoilers, but let me just add that, as always, Haslett's prose is effortlessly and propulsively readable, without being overly pretentious or flowery. I am certain this will end up as one of my three top reads of 2024. And perhaps damning with faint praise, but in the right hands, this would make a terrific film (Meryl Streep, call your agent! she'd would be a shoo-in for playing Ann!)