All we know of heaven

Though Austin Barclay is tall, handsome, smart, and kind, and Dolores Meredith is pretty, vivacious, and brave, these two lovers feel to us totally believable and human. The setting is today, in a small town in California that all of us will find familiar. The lovers' story is written in a rich, compelling style heightened by recurrent themes from the poetry of Emily Dickinson. But above all it is a story, an unfolding tale that increases its hold on us with each chapter right down to the epilogue, which is - an overused adjective but here thoroughly deserved - unforgettable.