Transported to a surreal landscape, a young trauma surgeon is called into action as a priest and asked to help save the great-grandson of a slave in 1938 New Orleans. In doing so he throws his entire future into the balance. A fascinating and thought-provoking journey from modern Los Angeles to turn-of-the-century Louisiana, Hillary Chollet’s debut explores the infinite nature of the human soul. His felicity for time and place—for portraying vastly different cultures, life views, and societal constructs—is nothing short of a revelation, while bristling dialogue and a keen eye for detail serve only to add greater depth and complexity. A moving novel of insight and raw emotion, White Coat and Sneakers exposes the core of our being with delicacy and reverence as it unspools the mysteries of life as we know it.