From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. A triumphant testament to the transcendent power of love and tribute to what being a stranger in a strange land truly means, Palwick's long-awaited second novel (after 1992's
Flying in Place) succeeds as a heart-wrenching romance, a sharp meditation on refugees and displaced persons and a tragicomedy of cultural differences. Palwick's exiles arrive in Reno, Nev., through a shimmering blue portal from another dimension—Lémabantunk, "Glorious City" of Gandiffri. Darroti-Frella Timbor, his father, brothers and their families have been banished to Earth by the judges of Gandiffri for killing Gallicina, a young Mendicant (or sacred beggar). After they become residents of a refugee camp, a depressed Darroti kills himself, and Lisa, a feisty American, helps them escape after a terrorist attack. In the years that follow, the family adapts with unsettling results as Darroti's ghost tries to reveal what really happened with Gallicina. A lyrical denouement and discovery that the gifts of self are "the most prized presents" of all conclude this outstanding fantasy novel.
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From Booklist
*Starred Review* In Gandiffri, a world of peace and abundance, no one goes homeless or hungry. Idyllic existence is ensured by the people's spiritual beliefs and practices and by the Judges, whose justice is prompt, efficient, and, in one family's case, extreme. Twentysomething Darroti and a devout young noblewoman, Gallicina, fall in love. She is serving a year as the Mendicant, a holy beggar whose blessing at a marriage brings peace and forgiveness to all. Darroti comes to be accused of murdering her and is sentenced to exile in another dimension. Gandiffri's Law of the Heart states that family members may not abandon one another, so Darroti's father, brothers, and the latter's wives and children accompany him. Taking only what they can carry, they walk through a strange blue door and into a refugee camp in Nevada. There Darroti inexplicably commits suicide, which marks each remaining family member differently and becomes the shadow under which they struggle to build a life together in the harsh land of America. Yet the magic of Gandiffri isn't lost to them. It lives in a tiny, undying pet beetle; in the unbreakable bond of Darroti and Gallicina; in a ghost seeking redemption; and in the healing power of love. Graced with exceptionally intimate understanding of its characters, Palwick's beautifully crafted tale of exiles struggling to come to terms with a deeply troubled Earth is exquisite.
Paula LuedtkeCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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