This story celebrates everyday life in a small village for a group of family and friends whose traditions and habits are both unique and universal. It's a charming book that spoke to me from the heart. The characters were my friends who I came to love and when the book ended I felt bereaved.
'But what is a Buddhist monk from Japan doing here, of all places?' the optician asked.
'Walking meditation,' I said solemnly.
I held my forearm out to both of them the way my father’s patients had held their arms out for blood samples to be taken. 'We have to write it down before it gets smudged. Have you ever seen such a long number?'
'The longer the number, the farther away the person,' Selma said.
We went back to the house and sat at the kitchen table. Because she was so happy to have him home, Selma held Alaska on her lap. He hadn’t been held on anyone’s lap since he was full grown; Selma was completely hidden behind him.
