On August 15, 1953, the day of a tumultuous street carnival in Elephant Park, Ohio, the baker Rocco LaGrassa receives a devastating piece of news: his son has died in a POW camp in Korea. Rocco's dogged life is transformed.

This unforgettable debut novel follows Rocco, an elderly abortionist, an enigmatic drapery seamstress, a teenage boy and a jeweller deep into the heart of a crime that will twist all of their lives.

A National Book Award Finalist.