minotaur

At the center of attention stands the relationship, conducted wholly by letter over the course of a decade, between a beautiful young English girl and an aging Israeli intelligence operative who adores her -eventually bringing her to adore him - anonymously and from afar. (Implausible as that situation may be, it comes to seem almost believable within Mr. Tammuz's deftly crafted plot; and what remains unbelievable is nonetheless acceptable because of the book's uniform tone of romantic parable.) Four Novels -By David Quammen -NYTimes