In this very human book, McKinley writes of the tragic childhood loss of a sister, the irrevocable turning point—evoking the search for threads of prophecy, patterns of meaning. The longing is tangible in Vanitas, delivered by messengers: Bach, Mozart, sparrows and crows; a pool of angled water that reflected golden boughs.... In a sure voice with lovely sound, McKinley's narratives are formal and evocative in their movement, asking: What does it mean to be whole?

​

      Jan Beatty, author of Dragstripping