Congrats to Deb Emily!

Even though Emily and I live in different countries, we met in person – very briefly – months ago. We both happened to be in New York, and we literally stood on a corner outside Penn Station, chatting in the cold, before we headed off to our respective meetings. But when we parted, I was holding something special in my hands: An advance copy of her new book.

I knew even before I cracked the cover that I’d love The Whole World – because I’d already come to love Emily’s elegant, thoughtful voice in her Deb Ball posts. But I wouldn’t be able to read it for a few days. I had lots of work to do, and the cocoon of the Metroliner train linking D.C. and New York is one of my favorite places to dive into writing and editing.

Well, it couldn’t hurt to just peek at the first page, could it?

Three and a half hours later, the train was pulling into the station and I was closing the cover on The Whole World. It was riveting, and well worth playing hooky from work.  It’s easy to see how Emily flexes her skill as a creator of puzzles (a pretty cool job in its own right!) to parcel out clues and intriguing threads in her story’s narrative. As the train shifted on the tracks, so too did my feelings for each narrator in Emily’s book. No one was quite as they seemed. Everyone kept me guessing. I literally could not put this book down.

You will love this beautifully-written, mysterious novel –  the opening image of the turning bicycle wheels has stayed with me, months after I read it – and it’s a perfect gift for Father’s Day, too. You can buy it here and read more about Emily on her website.

Emily, congratulations – on this book and on your next one, too! I’ll be eagerly awaiting it, and in the meantime, I’m buying my own copy of The Whole World so I can re-read it.

Everyone – please remember to comment this week and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing for The Whole World!