This novel traces Roger Betton, a man raised among beauty and books, who seeks something more than a cultivated life in the arts. Moving from his family’s Halcyon estate to New York studios and a refined, art-centered circle, he confronts the pull between inner vision and the world outside. Across lovers, friends, and a changing sense of self, the story follows how art, memory, and longing shape a life.

Roger’s world is rich with music, painting, and the tension between devotion to beauty and the demand to live. It threads through his early sense of self, his mother Elizabeth, a mentor-like figure whose own secrets push him toward new horizons—first in Europe, then in Tokyo and beyond. The narrative moves through places where art reigns and where life presses in, from bustling cities to quiet country scenes, marked by the rhythms of painting, travel, and personal upheaval. The book invites readers to imagine how a single artist’s quest might redefine what it means to be alive.

A portrait of a gifted, self-reflective artist who weighs art against everyday life.
A journey through shifting homes and cultures, from America to Europe to Asia.
Complex relationships that reveal the pull between beauty, memory, and desire.
Vivid scenes of studios, gardens, and landscapes that anchor the mood of the novel.

Ideal for readers who enjoy literary fiction about art, identity, and the search for meaning beyond craft.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

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