'America's first lady of darkness and mirth.' Guardian 'The best American writer of her generation.' Nick Hornby 'Unmissable.' Marie Claire From one of the most celebrated imaginations in American literature, Lorrie Moore's new novel is a magic box of longing and surprise. High up in a New York City hospice, Finn sits with his beloved brother Max, who is slipping from one world into the next. But when a phone call summons Finn back to a troubled old flame, a strange journey begins, opening a trapdoor in reality. It will prompt a questioning of life and death, grief and the past, comedy and tragedy, and the diaphanous separations that lie between them all. 'Moore writes with such panache, such extraordinary perception and wit, that not a single sentence is wasted.' Elizabeth Day 'One of the most acute and lasting writers of her generation.' New York Times 'That Moore publishes so rarely is a gift in itself, because it compels you to read her over and over. . . Moore's a writer you don't quit.' Guardian 'One of the funniest writers alive.' Dave Eggers