Ray of the Star — Laird Hunt

Two lost souls searching for meaning in this moving, dreamlike novel of from “one of the most talented young writers on the American scene today” (Paul Auster). Determined to find his place in the world, Harry ventures to a vibrant European city that has roots both in the present and past. There, he is drawn to the boulevard -- and especially to Solange, a silent, silver angel awash in Lucite tears and heartbreak. A love story related in the dark, stylish noir of continental cinema and overlaid with a patina of surrealism, this is a novel where friends are also informers, street theater is the lifeblood of culture, and refuge can be found in the belly of a yellow, papier-mâché submarine. As Harry and Solange reckon with seers offering answers to insoluble questions, neighbors who take evening strolls with the dearly departed, critics who control more than artistic fate, and shoes determined to lead their wearers astray, they come to understand the price of survival -- and come to a reckoning with their tragic pasts.