The acclaimed, prize-winning #1 New York Times bestselling writer returns with a moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time.

When Daphne Fuller and her husband Jonathan visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they notice an older, white-haired gentleman following them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, her former stepfather, who had been married to her mother for a little more than year when Daphne was nine. Now fifty-three, Daphne hasn’t seen Eddie for many years, not since the fateful event that changed the direction of both their lives. Meeting again, time falls away; while their relationship was brief, it had a profound impact on them both, and now that they are reunited, they have no intention of ever being separated again.

Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made, and the choices that were made for them. It’s a story about bravery, memory, the often small yet consequential moments that define our lives, and the endless stream of loss that in time comes for us all. Beautiful in its simplicity, it is ultimately about how love endures, and how the feeling of being known by one other person, even for a short period of time, can change everything.

I received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

For some reason, I had it in my head that this book was about a woman reconnecting with her ex-stepfather at a horse race. By the way, that’s not what this book is. At all. That’s what I get for barely skimming the synopsis, but then again, the synopsis didn’t really matter, because this is Ann Patchett, and I adore her books. I was going to read it whether it was about a racehorse or space aliens invading the local ice cream shop. Now don’t worry. There is a horse in this book. It only gets mentioned a handful of times, but it ends up playing a significant supporting role.

Daphne Fuller, now in her early fifties, is spending an afternoon at the Met with her husband when she realizes a quiet older man with white hair has been drifting through the galleries behind them. The man turns out to be Eddie Triplett, who used to be her stepfather. He was married to her mother for a little over a year when Daphne was a child, before her mother ended things out of nowhere. He hasn’t been in Daphne’s life since she ended it, but the short time he was in it left a mark, on Daphne and on her sister, that never really faded. The book is the story of what happens when they finally find each other again as adults, and how they slowly put together the picture of what actually went wrong all those years ago.

This is Patchett doing what she does best. She takes a small, contained story about a handful of people and builds something that feels bigger than its page count. It’s about reconnecting with the people who knew us at the right moment and how that knowing stays with us whether we realize it or not.

I loved every single character in this book. Patchett has a way of writing people that always knocks me out, and she does it again here. The standout for me is the relationship between Daphne and Eddie. The way they fall back into each other when they meet again as adults was believable. You can honestly feel how much they each meant to each other all those years ago, and how reconnecting years later changes them. It’s beautifully done.

I really liked Daphne, but Eddie himself is a character I’ll be carrying in my heart for a while. He’s funny, and kind. He loves carefully and he’s not a hero in any obvious way, but he’s the kind of person you’d want to have show up in your childhood, and the kind of person you’d want to find again as an adult. The more I learned about him and his life, the more I felt for him.

The book moves between past and present, and that structure works really well. Patchett uses this format in a lot of her books, and she’s basically a master of it. I especially loved the flashback chapters. There’s one pivotal moment that’s at the heart of why these two are bonded the way they are, and watching that moment play out over several chapters, and then watching the present day reconnection, was so satisfying. I realize that’s really vague, but no spoilers!

If you’re already a Patchett fan, you don’t really need me to talk you into snagging this one. I will say that this is up there as one of my favorites. If you’re new to her and looking for a place to start, this is a fine entry point. Then, go add Tom Lake and Bel Canto to your list (the latter being my favorite of hers). She never disappoints, and this book is just more proof of why I love her books as much as I do.