"A writer good enough to restore your faith in fiction." THE NEW YORK TIMES It is only a week in the life of a 35-year old bachelor school teacher in a small Minnesota town. But it is an extraodinary week, filled with the poetry of living, the sweetness of expectation, and the glory of surprise that can change a life forever.... "Absolutely smashing....An altogether successful work, witty, intelligent, compassionate." THE CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER