Lift Bridge Book Shop

“Honest, forthright Jacob de Zoet, the nephew of a Dutch preacher, journeys to the Nagasaki of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, at the peak of Dutch trade with Japan. Through his eyes, we see this absorbing tale of the clash of cultures, replete with political machinations, plots within plots, graft and corruption, unrequited love, and the struggle of the 'good' to persevere throughout it all. A thoroughly satisfying read!”
—Lynne Almeida, Spellbinder Books & Coffee Bar, Bishop, CA

“How could James Levine, a doctor and medical researcher at the Mayo Clinic, capture the hidden life of a 15-year-old Indian prostitute? This fictional journal of Batuk, a precocious girl sold into sexual slavery, reveals a life few could imagine and depicts the power of youthful imagination to escape an intolerable reality.”
-- Darwin Ellis, Books On The Common, Ridgefield, CT

“In a letter to his daughter on her 21st birthday, Wyatt Hillyer tells his intense life story, along with that of his parents, in elegant prose belying astonishing events. After his parents' almost simultaneous suicides as the result of a love triangle, the teenaged Wyatt falls hard for his lovely cousin Tilda, while she only has eyes for the mysterious German student Hans. In a tiny Nova Scotia village during WWII, suspicion and violence play out along with the passions of this intimate circle of rich, distinct characters you will not forget.”
—Carla Jimenez, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL

“At first it intrigued me, at times it repulsed me (as I'm sure it was meant to), and in the end it floored me. In his first novel, Ross has conducted this symphony of a story with the skill of a veteran writer. Ross reveals the deepest, darkest, guiltiest thoughts that men will never admit to and holds them up to the light. Women may think it misogynist, but sometimes we learn the most from cautionary tales. Read it to the end; all will be revealed, and redeemed, and you, too, will be in awe.”
—Paul Hanson, Eagle Harbor Book Company, Bainbridge Island, WA