I don't often read books such as this, nor do I tear up, but Kalila is an astonishingly strong novel that never panders, never even threatens to overlap into the saccharin sentiment that can swamp novels of such themes. Rosemary Nixon brings a poet's ear and an incisive gaze to a moment in time none of us ever want to face, but too many of us must. Never before have I felt having my emotions torn apart to be a good thing, but Kalila proves me wrong.
Kalila chronicles the lives of Maggie and Brodie, whose joy collides with devastation when their daughter’s birth also heralds the news of her congenital heart condition. In this startlingly inventive novel, Rosemary Nixon braids light and darkness into a narrative chain pulled exquisitely taut. Through Maggie and Brodie’s shifting viewpoints, the isolating impenetrability of hospital life, the mediation of physics, music, and family, Nixon propels the reader into unmapped emotional terrain where a shell-shocked family grapples with the horror, joy, and mystery of impermanence. The result is a spellbinding tale, provocative for the emotions and the intellect.
close this panelThis will break your heart
Stunning
I'll echo what Corey says. This book is heartbreaking but so lovely. The prose is exquisite and it is never too sweet or sentimental. I, however, love being ripped apart by a book, and this one does so in only the best ways.


