Quotes
“Spillman unspools a story that will resonate with everyone who’s ever searched for home.” Michael Hainey, New York Times bestselling author
“Rob Spillman’s story of rarefied opera culture as a child, and East German nightlife an adult, is limpid and lively in its telling, and it covers fascinating ground.” Rachel Kushner, New York Times bestselling author
“If you’ve ever been young, in love, and desperate to live an authentic life, this book is for you—a ravishing memoir about a young man’s quest for art, meaning, and a place to call home.” Anthony Doerr, New York Times bestselling author
“In this carefully wrought coming-of-age memoir, a young American writer searches for home in an unlikely place: East Berlin immediately after the fall of the wall…Ultimately, his is a quest of roots and writerly authenticity—and his evocation of East Berlin’s last days is exquisite and revealing.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Spillman recounts his nomadic youth, shuttling between summers at musical festivals with his father and Baltimore, where he struggles to fit into his mother’s new life. Lifelong exposure to passionate artists may have fueled his creativity, but an existential dread that he won’t find passion in his own life gnaws at him…This is the story of formative years spent struggling to fully embrace life at the crossroads of history, art, home, and family.” Booklist (starred review)
“A delightful coming-of-age story couched within a travel narrative that deftly evokes one of the major historical moments of the twentieth century. A richly detailed and always engaging memoir on artistic discovery.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Spillman brilliantly—thrillingly—captures the velocity and the changing sounds of youth as it simultaneously hurls away from, and toward, home.” Nick Flynn, author of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
“An achingly beautiful and brilliantly structured book.” David Shields, author of Reality Hunger: A Manifesto