
A New York Magazine Best Book of the Year. A Christian Science Monitor Top 15 Fiction Book of the Year. A Washington Post Best Book of the Year. A New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Wall Street Journal’s Best Novel of the Year. ALA Carnegie Medal Finalist for Excellence in Fiction. An NBCC Finalist for 2016 Award for Fiction. Tim Benz, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Crestview Hills, KY This thrilling, poignant, and magical book left me feeling like I do when I leave the theater after a great movie-I couldn't talk I just had to readjust to the world.” “A feeling of wonder pervades this captivating novelization of the mysterious lives of Chabon's grandfather and grandmother. Banna Rubinow (E), The River's End Bookstore, Oswego, NY Top Ten While all the characters are richly developed, the narrator's grandfather - the brave, eccentric, anger-fueled, and deeply loving center of this novel - will remain with readers forever.”
On that foundation, Chabon has built a novel filled with family stories, World War II episodes - including an appearance by Wernher von Braun - an obsession with rocketry, and a vividly realized, against-all-odds love story.
In the months before his death, Chabon's grandfather revealed much of his life to his grandson.
“The intersection of world history and family history, the interplay of memory and imagination, a tangle of humor and grief, and the blurred and shifting line that separates sanity and madness all come into play in this stunning book.