Starred review from October 1, 2022
In an ambitious love story spanning centuries and continents, Dykes (Yours Is the Night) brings Venice, Italy to life. Daniel Goodman was released from prison in 1904 but is still struggling with how to live in freedom and how to rejoin his San Francisco family. He receives an unexpected job offer to travel to Venice in search of the original Book of Waters, an Italian fairy tale with a blank ending. As soon as he steps off the train, he meets Vittoria Bellini, a young bookstore owner with a love for literature and a fierce passion for Venice. The two uncover many secrets in the city, making friends along the way. As Daniel translates the existing Book of Waters, readers are transported back into the tumultuous history of Venetian guilds. VERDICT Using a lyrical style heavy with metaphor, Dykes connects a myriad of details to form an epic tale of beauty and redemption with echoes of all the great love stories. With a bit of a National Treasure vibe and a unique setting, this will appeal to historical fiction fans who appreciate art, archaeology, and history.--Christine Barth
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October 24, 2022
This lyrical dual-narrative historical from Dykes (Set the Stars Alight) dives into the histories of Venice, Italy, and Venice Beach, Calif., as it follows two men in search of spiritual fulfillment. In 1904 San Francisco, Daniel Goodman, recently out of prison for committing robberies, lives in an abandoned railcar and longs to return to his estranged mother in that city, from whom he’s been hiding out of shame. After a visit from his cousin, Daniel learns his mother is in financial trouble and he contemplates committing one last heist to help her. Instead, he stumbles upon developer Edward Wharton, who hires Daniel as an Italian translator for a real estate project aiming to bring the culture of Venice to California. To cinch the job, Daniel offers to give Wharton his copy of a rare memoir that Daniel’s mother gave him and that Wharton is eager to add to his new library. The book tells the story of Sebastien Trovato, who was abandoned as a baby and taken in by artisans in early 19th-century Venice. He becomes curious about where he came from and embarks on a search that leads to surprising answers that affirm he is loved “by a God who flung the stars, hovered upon waters, and cradled his life with care.” Elegant prose powerfully evokes historical Venice (“There was shadow and song in every stone”), and Daniel’s quest to atone for his thieving past testifies to the power of redemption. Fans of Jaime Jo Wright will want to take a look.
Starred review from October 15, 2022
Reformed thief Daniel Goodman has lost his home in California and his family's honor, but one treasure may help him find a way forward, a rare copy of the legendary Italian book with no ending, The Book of Waters. In 1904, Daniel is hired to find the original text authored nearly a century earlier, the only known copy to conclude the story of foundling Sebastien Trovato. As Daniel's journey to Venice becomes increasingly entwined with Sebastien's powerful story, Daniel's search unfolds into one of historical artifacts, personal atonement, and an answer to the question, Who am I? Dykes takes a historical dive into two time frames in Venice, Italy, in a magical tale that intersects literature and real life. All the Lost Places alternates between Daniel's journey and his translation of The Book of Waters, which shines in its meditation on the paradoxes of being broken yet whole, lost yet loved. There is a hushed awe surrounding the language, imagery, and consciousness of this story-within-a-story as it captures the spirit and intrigue of Venice. Dykes' novel is introspective, surprising, and achingly beautiful.
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