First published 1995
John Donelly sits in his therapist's office when his patient Laura makes an impossible claim. She says the Holock, an alien species, deposited her on Earth for one year. When they return, she can remain only if she convinces one human that her story is real. She has selected John for this task. To prove her otherworldly origins, Laura exposes herself, revealing unnaturally square nipples. John drops his cigarette into his chair. This bizarre encounter launches John into a reality where nothing operates as expected. Laura presents him with a terrible choice. She might love him or destroy him, perhaps both simultaneously. As their relationship deepens, John discovers that accepting Laura's truth means abandoning everything he believed about existence. The familiar world around him begins shifting in ways that challenge his sanity and his survival.
Genres: science-fiction, romance, fantasy, thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
383 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books
Content warnings: mental-illness