A symphony of interconnected lives and a reflection on isolation and intimacy set in Tokyo.

A suspenseful family drama about moral responsibility in the age of artificial intelligence

A moving novel from the bestselling author of HOW TO BE PARISIAN WHEREVER YOU ARE

“A deeply moving book.” ―LEILA SLIMANI *** “A powerful exploration of family trauma.” ―LAUREN ELKIN

“A work of rare grace and importance.”―THE GUARDIAN

In January 2003, the Berest family receive a mysterious, unsigned postcard. On one side was an image of the Opéra Garnier; on the other, the names of their relatives who were killed in Auschwitz: Ephraïm, Emma, Noémie and Jacques.

Years later...

Long ago, following a cataclysm called "The Tear," the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands. Known now as Arks, each has developed in distinct ways and at a different pace; each seems to possess its own unique relationship to time, such that nowadays vastly different worlds exist, together but apart. And over all of these Arks the spirit of an omnipotent and immortal ancestor abides.

Ophelia lives on Anima, an ark where objects have souls. Beneath her worn scarf a...