Taft : A Novel

ANew York TimesNotable Book

As resonant as a blues song. . . . Expect miracles when you read Ann Patchetts fiction.New York Times Book Review

An ex-jazz drummer wants nothing more than to be a good father in this moving family novel by theNew York Timesbest-selling author ofThe Dutch House.

When John Nickel's lover takes away his son, Nickel is left only with his Beale Street bar in Memphis. He hires a young waitress named Fay Taft, who brings with her a desperate, dangerous brother, Carl, and the possibility of new intimacy. Nickel finds himself consumed with Fay and Carl's dead fatherTaftobsessing over and reconstructing the life of a man he never met.

A stunning artistic achievement,Taftconfirms Ann Patchett's standing as one of the most gifted writers of her generation and reminds us of our deepest instincts to protect the people we love.