Inspired by and structured around the chamber piece of the same title by the French composer Olivier Messiaen,An ambitious, tough-minded story&By avoiding narrative cliches, Skibsrud is able to reinvigorate the history her novel rests on.Mysterious, richly detailed, and wholly original, this symphonic fiction makes emotion palpable, weaving the consequences of acts and emotions into its very structure.This is a wonderfully original novel. Scenes of extraordinary high drama take place in a realm drawn with great historical accuracyin prose that marks this fiction with its own unexpected ethereal tint. Skibsrud has talent to burn.Intricate [and] ambitious& a haunting meditation on responsibility with vivid glimpses of history, and a distinctive and nuanced voice.A cinematic . . . page-turner and a compassionate analysis of faith, memory, responsibility, and consequence.Molly Antopol,