‘Cary Fagan’s new novel is intense, lyrical, and emotionally charged. Leon Stone is a man blessed with good fortune -- a wife he continues to feel passion for, a young daughter, a safe neighbourhood. But his fear that it will all be taken away from him appears to be realized when Vasily arrives next door, carrying his possessions in two garbage bags.
‘Despite his better judgment, Leon finds himself drawn to this self-declared ‘‘immigrant failure,’’ and their involvement gradually turns more intimate -- and explosive. In the meantime, Leon’s wife is growing impatient with his ‘‘problem’’ -- a fear of leaving the house, other than through the imaginative power of their erotic life. Leon’s past is slowly revealed: how his father became involved with the mob, as well as Leon’s own criminal past. The relationships of Leon with his wife, daughter, and with Vasily move towards their powerful climax.’