This richly textured and wonderfully engrossing novel tells the story of Sylvia Landsman, who at age forty-two decides to leave her loveless, jobless life in New York and travel abroad. In Paris, Sylvia meets Henry, a charming Southern gentleman. The two soon find themselves touring the continent as a couple, Sylvia spending her severance package, Henry his wife’s money. As their trip unfolds, Sylvia narrates a broad tapestry of enchanting stories: tales that span from classic love stories to portraits of her father’s life, before and after her mother’s death. One character who keeps entering Sylvia’s stories is her eccentric best friend, Ruby, who eventually becomes a deep source of guilt for the narrator.
Kirshenbaum impressively weaves these stories and travels together with Sylvia’s playful yet subtly poignant voice. The novel dazzles with picaresque storytelling and portraits of European landscapes and scenes. The sensory delights, occasional frustrations, and persistent soul-searching of intercontinental travel are omnipresent here. Kirshenbaum not only takes the reader on a winding tour of Europe, but also on a tour of the psychological map of family, fate, friendship, and romance. Kirshenbaum navigates both paths gracefully, unpacking the many layers of Sylvia’s personal history throughout the journey.
