PositiveThe New York TimesWhimsical love stories are tough to pull off. But as in the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, vibrant characters, believable romance and dark undertones make for a moving tale. The book’s contrast between childhood fantasy and the grim world outside tamps down the cutesiness. It helps that Ms. Tanner is such a strong storyteller, and her distinctive voice — winsome without being dopey — engulfs you immediately ... There are two love stories in this book: the one between the boy and the girl, and the one between the mother and the son. Each relationship jostles for space in a crowded Brighton Beach apartment ... Ms. Tanner reserves the abracadabra for Vaclav’s routines. She shows what love can do and also what it cannot.
