Oxygen

An “elegantly written . . . exhilarating” Booker-award finalist is “a knowing glimpse at the ways we hold ourselves responsible for saving the people we love” (People).

It is the summer of 1997. In England, Alec Valentine is returning home to care for his ailing mother, Alice, a task that only reinforces his deep sense of inadequacy. In San Francisco, his older brother Larry prepares to come home as well, knowing it will be hard to conceal that his acting career is sliding toward sleaze and his marriage is faltering. In Paris, on the other hand, the Hungarian exile László Lázár, whose play Alec is translating, seems to have it all—a comfortable home, critical acclaim, a loving boyfriend, and a close circle of friends. Yet he cannot shake off the memories of the 1956 uprising and the cry for help he left unanswered. As these unforgettable characters soon learn, the moment has come to assess the turns taken and the opportunities missed. For each of them will soon take part in acts of liberation, even if they are not necessarily what they might have expected.

“Poignant, probing . . . grounded in a vivid sense of place and character, and enlivened by a sly, stoical wit. . . . A bold, bracing book.” —The Chicago Tribune

“This book breathes with compassion and honesty, and with the rare quality called hope.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lovely, striking, strange, evocative.” —The Washington Post Book World

“Insightful, sometimes painful. . . . Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

“Beautifully written and vividly engaging.” —Booklist

“Exquisitely detailed.” —Entertainment Weekly

“A writer of verve and talent.” —Margot Livesey, New York Times