A beautiful tapestry of a story! This read was more magical realism than anything else. It was a multi-genre adventure about what it means to be human. There's mystery with Clark trying to interpret his visions, realistic observations of the world and magical with its insight and hopefulness. What I loved was reaching the end of the story and then realizing that the characters were the authors. I realized that the names didn't just match up, but this was Clark and Perdita's true story. Even if the story feels far-fetched, I believe that something magical and or powerful was working alongside them.

This is a one of a kind books that you can't explain. You can't talk about this book with someone, mainly because the plot is obtuse. The story switches narration styles and there's a religious history section every other chapter. At first, this description doesn't make much sense. Yet once you dive into the story, everything comes together. The history melded perfectly with the family's story and it was an enriching account of world religions. With the divided state of the world nowadays, this book was a breath of fresh air. It discusses problems of climate change, religious adversity and quarrels, sexism, harassment and privilege. Specifically, I admired that Clark was able to point out the negative aspects of both Buddhism and Catholicism. It needed to be said when he said it.

More than anything this books needs to be shared! A book club would be the perfect atmosphere. This is the sort of unusual book that makes sense as you compare notes on it with friends. It's an excellent buddy read.