Three apparently disparate novellas, set in past, present and future New York. They are in fact linked by recurring characters, situations and objects, and by the poetry of Walt Whitman. I wasn't entirely convinced that they form a unified whole. The jumps between time and genre are quite shocking, and I found the rather abstract connections were not really enough to pull the three narratives together. However, individually, they are well-crafted and intriguing stories, and they will appeal to anyone who enjoys quality writing.