A slim, beautiful novel published a short time after Harouf’s death at 71 in 2014.  Like his prior Plainsong, this story takes place in Holt, Colorado and is all about relationships.  In this case, the characters are Addie Moore, a 70 year old widow who is tired of living alone in silence.  One night without any preamble, she phones  a neighbor, Louis Waters, a widower and invites him to spend nights with her talking and holding each other in bed. This ‘bolt from the blue’ changes both of their lives in a meaningful and important way—perhaps love as a redeeming force.  The society’s attempts to thwart their love—gossips in town, disapproving son, declining health—curtail their physical closeness but not their feelings for each other.  A touching story, full of the beauty and innocence of childhood in the Plains and the inevitable decline of aging, but also full of hope and happiness.  Made me cry—always a sign of a good book.  This can be read in one sitting if one is patient and has a good glass of wine at hand.