Additional information
by Nicholas Christopher (Author)
"A large, lavishly inventive novel . . . an American descendant of The Arabian Nights . . . erudite and artful entertainment."--The New York Times Book Review
At a Manhattan planetarium in 1965, ten-year-old Enzo is whisked away from his young adoptive aunt, Mala. His abductor turns out to be a blood relative: his great-uncle Junius Samax, a wealthy former gambler who lives in a converted Las Vegas hotel surrounded by a priceless art collection and a host of fascinating, idiosyncratic guests. In Samax's magical world, Enzo receives a unique education and pieces together the mystery of his mother's life and the complicated history of his adoption. Back in New York, Mala only knows that Enzo has disappeared. After a yearlong search proves fruitless, she enlists in the Navy Nursing Corps and on a hospital ship off Vietnam falls in love with a wounded B-52 navigator, who disappears on his next mission. Devastated again, Mala embarks on a restless, adventurous journey around the world, hoping to overcome the losses that have transformed her life.
"A writer of remarkable gifts."--The Washington Post Book World "This labyrinthine novel . . . is animated by an encompassing lust for beauty."--The New Yorker " Nicholas] Christopher is North America's Garc a M rquez; Borges with emotional weight. . . . This is one of those rare books that, by connecting the stars, catches you in its web."--The Globe and Mail
Includes an excerpt of Nicholas Christopher's Tiger Rag
Author Biography
Nicholas Christopher is the author of six novels--The Soloist, Veronica, A Trip to the Stars, Franklin Flyer, The Bestiary, and Tiger Rag--eight collections of poetry, and a nonfiction book, Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City. He lives in New York City.
