"Like a woke Brothers Grimm, his clever new spin on the ages-old changeling myth is a modern fairy tale for the Trump era."--USA Today (four out of four stars)
Three disparate characters and their oddly interlocking lives feature in this novel about lost souls and hidden identities. Chaon intertwines a trio of story lines, showcasing his characters' individuality by threading subtle connections between and among them.
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov lives in a garret in St. Petersburg. Destitute and feeling cut off from humanity, he considers committing a terrible crime--killing a pawnbroker--to steal her money. After hearing people say that society would be better off without the pawnbroker, he murders her--and her sister, who walks in while Raskolnikov is raiding the pawnbroker's wares. As the novel's psychological drama unfolds, Raskolnikov lives in constant fear of discovery.
Zelmont Raines was once a Super Bowl-winning wide receiver. But recurring juries, a self-destructive lifestyle and too many run-ins with the law have submarined his career. Back in L.A. after bombing out of the European League, his one last chance is the team in town, the Barons.Unfortunately for Zelmont, the roar of the crowds and the adulation of the fans -- not to mention the money and the honeys that go with it -- are no longer his for the taking. Bumped, the bitter athlete falls in with Wilma Wells, the smart (and fine) lawyer for the Barons.