When Bonnie and Mansour meet in New York in 1968, their connection is undeniable. As Mansour's soaring Senegalese melodies continue to break new ground, taking him and Bonnie from Paris to Rio and Switzerland, it seems as though happiness might finally be around the corner. Then Mansour goes missing. In his absence, Bonnie reckons with her memories of him, and comes to understand that the hopes of so many women – her mother and grandmother; his mother, aunt, childhood friend – rest on her perseverance. Stirred by the life growing inside her, Bonnie puts a plan in action to find him.
[Sennaar's] prose is elemental, flowing like a river at times, then burning like fire, heightening the reader’s senses until all five mingle into one ... Some side characters are less compelling.
