“A nearly flawless performance—a beautifully constructed, elegantly written book, delicate in its perceptions, powerful in its impact.”—Robert Towers, New York Times
“Clever and deftly observant.”—Newsweek
“In the California college town of Orris stands a rooming house owned by ballet teacher Theodora Wait, 60, and her brother Anton, a famous nature photographer. In summer residence are only two boarders, Ouida, a sweet-natured Brazilian member of the ‘World Messianity’ movement, and a quiet, private girl known to the others solely as ‘Lynn.’ Actually her name is Marybeth Howe, and she’s an FBI fugitive, having killed a scientist in a laboratory bombing six years before. Orris is a perfect refuge; Johnson’s eye for mendicant/hip/political manifestations makes this a piece of fine California reportage… A chamber novel, basically a quartet for four intelligences… the satisfactions—for the head especially—are substantial.”—Kirkus Reviews
