First published 2009
In the dreamlike realm of Palimpsest, a tattoo grants passage - but at a price. A New York locksmith, a beekeeper, a rare book binder, and a young Japanese woman each make the crossing, compelled by loss and the promise of transformation. Through ghost trains, lion-priests, and cream-filled canals, they navigate this sensual, chimerical world, their fates intertwined. Palimpsest is a place of both beauty and grotesquerie, where the only passport is a night of intimacy with a stranger.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, fantasy, magical-realism
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, intimate-strangers
Setting: Palimpsest
367 pages · Paperback · Spectra
Content warnings: sexual-content