Two familiar, but closer to strangers, share a conversation where one divulges the trajectory of his life being radically altered after saving a drowning man and subsequently becoming consumed with the idea of knowing who and what he is responsible for after the act. In the doing, disingenuously inserting himself into the man’s life.

I have always been somewhat terrified of the notion that you don’t know who you really are until opportunity presents itself. People believe they’d do the right thing and that what they feel aligns with their notion of their values. Untested, however, they have no clear definitions of boundaries or morales. And with more agency comes the ability to reshape the story you tell yourself of who you are. In this case, voiced to all but a stranger—who always do seem like the easiest people to share yourself with. Even if what you share is just that: a story mired in fiction.

This short, punchy, and deceptively simple novel was a fun ride. By the end there is plenty to chew on. The prose work is clean and uncomplicated, unfurling a plot that clips along until the final thought provoking beat.