This novel is surely one of the most intriguingly original Canadian novels of the past dozen years. Following in the wake of his more successful previous novel Not Wanted on the Voyage, Findley again draws together a vast number of literary and pop cultural references. Here he tells the story of Lila, an aging librarian with the peculiar ability to draw characters out of books into the world around her. Chock-full of literary allusions and humor, the novel also presents a well-researched account of the true nature of Lila's condition.