Daphne

Will Boast's long-anticipated first novel is an "outrightmarvelous debut [that] breathes fresh vigorinto timeless questions of love and risk" (Lauravan den Berg). Born with a rare condition in which she suffersdegrees of paralysis when faced with intense emotion, Daphnehas had few close friends and fewer lovers. Like her mythicnamesake, one touch can freeze her. But when Daphne meetsshy, charming Ollie, her well-honed defenses falter, and she'sfaced with a critical choice: cling to her protective isolation orrisk the recklessness of real intimacy. Set against the backdropof a San Francisco flush with money and pulsing with protest,Daphne is "an amiable exploration of how humans might cometo manage their raucous hearts" (NewYorker.com).