To write this off as a romance novel does not do justice to Morrison's intricate study of the complex and delicate relationships between and among people. In this tale, Morrison deftly and inextricably weaves emotion into landscape - the point of view flows seamlessly from person to place to animal to create the space in which all three interact, dream, yearn, and ultimately fail to understand one another. Ghosts lurk in the corners of rooms and minds and islands; history weighs heavily on conscience, hand, and mind. In all this is a painfully human and real depiction of relationships, yet beautiful and touching in its loss and sadness, and in its acknowledgement that conflict between people is rarely ever as simple as black or white.