Snow queen

Michael Cunningham’s luminous, compassionate new novel begins with a vision. Barrett Meeks, having lost love yet again, is walking through Central Park when he suddenly sees a pale, translucent light that seems to regard him in a distinctly godlike way. At the same time, Beth, who’s engaged to Barrett’s older brother, Tyler, is dying of colon cancer. Cunningham follows the Meeks brothers as each turns down a decidedly different path in his search for transcendence. In subtle, lucid prose, he demonstrates a profound empathy for his conflicted characters and a singular understanding of what lies at the depth of the human soul.