With America gearing up for war in the Middle East, Tassie Keltjin, a half-Jewish farmers daughter from the plains of the Midwest, has come to university - escaping her provincial home to encounter a world of culture and politics. As her past becomes increasingly alien to her, Tassie realises she is becoming a stranger to herself. Hardcover , 323 pages Published October 1st 2009 by Faber and Faber (first published September 1st 2009)