Jasmine is a replant here in her native state, following stints in the northwest corners of three continents: Washington State; Brittany, France; and most recently Morocco. A visual artist who loves wandering and foraging, she leans toward what is quiet, wild and easily overlooked. Writers that summon wonder and bewilderment are her favorite. She is usually pedaling around on her bicycle, armed with too many tote bags.
This taut, subtle novel is all about what is concealed and revealed, controlled surfaces and troubled depths. Through the lens of a developing friendship between an artist and her tenant, a graduate student in art history, themes of nakedness and self-expression intertwine and then unravel. I was haunted by this story long after I read the final page. --Jasmine
