The
book starts when the narrator is involved in a serious car
accident, suffering burns over much of his body.
While he is recovering in the burns unit, he meets Marianne
Engel - a beautiful, compelling and clearly unhinged gargoyle
sculptor.
She insists they were once lovers in medieval Germany.
She tells him stories of their past together, intertwined
with love stories from Japan, Iceland, Italy and England, and
he finds himself drawn back to life and, ultimately, love.
He is eventually released into Marianne's care, but all is
not well.
The pull of his past sins becomes more powerful as the
morphine he is prescribed becomes more addictive.
Meanwhile, Marianne receives word from God she has 27
sculptures left to complete and when the 27th is finished,
her time on Earth will end.
Sounds a bit weird, but it really is very, very good!
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