Ann Patchett
One of Patchett’s greatest strengths as a writer are the characters she develops. In a way, she reminds me of Anne Tyler. This book begins with two of the main characters Parsifal, the magician, and his lover, Phan, dead. Phan passes away first, and shortly after his death, Parsifal, though gay, marries Sabine, his assistant, to ensure her security in the event of his death. It is only after Parsifal’s death that Sabine learns that Parsifal’s birth name was Guy Fetters and of the family Parsifal left in rural Nebraska. The Fetters enter Sabine’s life and the remainder of the story focuses on the bond Parsifal unknowingly created between them.