Readers first meet Simone Lerrante, a Belgian war orphan, as a child refugee in Sussex, England, her memory damaged by trauma. The novel offers a kaleidoscopic vision of Simone's fractured life and piecemeal understanding of self across multiple points of view. Following her from Cambridge to New York City and across the United States - through a disastrous marriage, thwarted desire, and the purgatory of academic backwaters - the novel charts Simone's unexpected reconnection with her past, which provides both autonomy and inspiration for her future.

In the vein of Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, Janet Burroway slowly reveals a multifaceted, fascinating protagonist, who observes her own life without always allowing herself to be immersed in it. Spanning seven decades, this story is both epic and contained, rewarding readers at every turn.