This extraordinary novel might well be in my 2023 Top Ten List!

It is a book of stories that are linked in a tenuous though profound way. The first story is that of an author named Alice who writes a novel titled “Theo”. Then it goes on to the women who read the manuscript for “Theo” before it was published, the literary agent who published it, and several readers who were impacted by the story in some way. Sometimes in a way that changed their lives. There is a writer, a new mother, an actor, an artist, a diver, a homeless teenager, a bookseller, a grieving widower, and a ‘coordinator’.

Yes, “Theo” is just one novel, yet each different reader has a different take-away. Their enjoyment of the book is ultra dependent on where they are in their own lives. It speaks to how fictional characters can ease a reader’s pain, can teach the reader empathy, can let the reader know they are not alone… That a book has the potential to leave an indelible mark upon each of its readers.

This novel is an ode to book lovers everywhere. Readers who find themselves at one time or another immersed in fiction. Readers who love words and eloquent writing will delight in this novel. It impacted me with a strange feeling that I cannot explain – such is the power of fiction when the author wields her magic with a polished pen.

All the stars…

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan via Edelweiss.

ISBN: 9781250284372 –  ASIN: ‎ ‎ B0B9KTYMKT –  320 pages

Published May 2, 2023

Erica Bauermeister is the author of the bestselling novel The School of Essential Ingredients, Joy for Beginners, and The Lost Art of Mixing. She is also the co-author of non-fiction works, 500 Great Books by Women: A Reader’s Guide and Let’s Hear It For the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14.

She has a PhD in literature from the University of Washington, and has taught there and at Antioch University. She is a founding member of the Seattle7Writers and currently lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

Connect with Erica Bauermeister via her website, Instagram, or Facebook.