Ah, this one is beautiful. I liked it even better than Patchett’s previous novel Bel Canto. It begins with an illicit kiss at a christening in 1964 and gently unspools from there. The story isn’t that important; the writing is, and the compassion with which Patchett deals with her characters. If you like this one, try also Anne Tyler’s A Spool of Blue Thread and Anita Shreve’s The Stars are Fire. Lovely.
