This novel of unrequited platonic love springs into being around the singular character of the stoic, exacting Elizabeth Finch. When Neil, the narrator, takes her adult education class on Culture and Civilization, he becomes deeply fascinated by this private, withholding yet commanding woman. While other personal relationships and even his children drift from his grasp, Neil hangs tight to Finch and her unorthodox application of history and philosophy to the practical matters of daily living. Neil wants as much to figure her out as to please her intellectually, both impossible.
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