The lives of writers can often best be understood through the eyes of those who nurtured them and made their work possible, and Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)—a globetrotting maverick best known for his books about Meiji-era Japan—is no exception. In this fictionalized rendering of the remarkable women in Hearn's life, Monique Truong introduces his mother, who leaves her parents' home in Greece, only to wind up stranded with her young son in Ireland; a former Kentucky slave, who married Hearn when he was an up-and-coming reporter; and a former samurai's daughter, who becomes his unsung literary collaborator.

"A marvelous mixture of fact and imagination…. Truong's lush style is on gorgeous display in these pages, her imagery evoking hidden emotional depths."—Washington Post