NEWYORKTIMESEDITORS’CHOICE-Adazzlingnovelaboutthesavinggraceoflanguageandhumanconnection,fromthe“visionary“(NewYorkTimesBookReview)authoroftheInternationalBookerPrizewinnerTheVegetarian“Bothadisquietingjourneyaboutthelossofsenseandareturntothesensoriumoftouchandintimacy,GreekLessonssoarswithsensuousandrevelatoryinsight.“--CathyParkHong,authorofMinorFeelingsABESTBOOKOFTHEYEAR:TheNewYorker,Time,ChicagoPublicLibrary,KirkusReviews,PublishersWeekly,LibraryJournal“Nowandthen,languagewouldthrustitswayintohersleeplikeaskewerthroughmeat,startlingherawakeseveraltimesanight.“InaclassroominSeoul,ayoungwomanwatchesherGreeklanguageteacherattheblackboard.Shetriestospeakbuthaslosthervoice.Herteacherfindshimselfdrawntothesilentwoman,fordaybydayheislosinghissight.Soonthetwodiscoveradeeperpainbindsthemtogether.Forher,inthespaceofjustafewmonths,shehaslostbothhermotherandthecustodybattleforhernine-year-oldson.Forhim,it’sthepainofgrowingupbetweenKoreaandGermany,beingtornbetweentwoculturesandlanguages,andthefearoflosinghisindependence.GreekLessonstellsthestoryoftwoordinarypeoplebroughttogetheratamomentofprivateanguish--thefadinglightofamanlosinghisvisionmeetingthesilenceofawomanwhohaslostherlanguage.Yetthesearetheverythingsthatdrawthemtoeachother.Slowlythetwodiscoveraprofoundsenseofunity--theirvoicesintersectingwithstartlingbeauty,astheymovefromdarknesstolight,fromsilencetobreathandexpression.GreekLessonsisthestoryoftheunlikelybondbetweenthispairandatenderlovelettertohumanintimacyandconnection--anoveltoawakenthesenses,onethatvividlyconjurestheessenceofwhatitmeanstobealive.
THENEWYORKER TIME LESSONS CHOICE YEAR
