Andrew Holleran's combines the personal pain of his characters, and the historical pain of our country, into an illuminating and irresistible narrative. I read this book in one sitting, and I learned from it." Sean Wilsey

Reeling from the recent death of his invalid mother, an exhausted, lonely professor comes to our nation's capital to escape his previous life. What he finds there - in his handsome, solitary landlord; in the city's sombre mood and sepulchral architecture, and in the strange and impassioned letter and journals of Mary Todd Lincoln - shows him unexpected truths about America and loss. As he seeks to engage with the living world around him - a challenging student, the mother of a dead friend, even his landlord's neglected dog - he comes to realise that his relationship to his grief is very different than he thought.