“This novel is so exquisitely structured and Gifford's story so engaging that it surrounds the reader and the characters, tying us to them with rapid transitions and rich embroidery. More, there is a persistent rhythm to it all, a constant throbbing like a train in motion or the beating of a heart, that permeates this work and brings the individual episodes into harmony that makes this collection of scenes into a novel.” –Review of Contemporary Fiction “Gifford cuts right through to the heart of what makes a good novel readable and entertaining. … The way Barry Gifford does it, it's high art.” –Elmore Leonard