My favorite book of the year so far.  In the fictitious Georgia city of Golden, a stranger from New York appears, his first time to dwell in the south.  Leo is in his late 80s, hails originally from Portugal, and seems a mystery to the circle of people who get to know him.  They are easily drawn into conversation with him, find his curiosity about them irresistible, and notice how slippery he becomes when they try to ask him about himself—even to the point of never revealing his last name.  The old man is gentle, kind, and thoughtful.  To be with him is to be healed, restored, resurrected. 

Everyone soon finds out that Leo loves good coffee, black and white portraiture, and the cello.  A local artist has painted 92 portraits that hang in the coffee shop.  Leo begins purchasing them and gifting them to the models.  Everyone thinks this is weird, but quaint and charming.  The presentation of these portraits brings Leo into the lives of those he gifts—for each presentation involves sitting down with him on a park bench and having a conversation.

Leo’s growing circle of friends is diverse:  an atheist book shop owner, a mentally ill woman, a cello player, a janitor at the university, a woman being abuse by her boyfriend, an unhappy accountant….  In every relationship, Leo wants to know the person’s story.  And they want to know his—even though he continually changes the subject on that matter.

Throughout the book we get an extraordinary portrait of a man who is gentle, humble, gracious, generous, and wise.  In Leo, these are not abstract qualities, but incarnated in his very specific words and actions. The reader becomes as curious and enamored of Leo as the people of Golden. 

The plot has its twists and suspense.  Leo’s story is eventually revealed. And not only are the lives of his new friends upended, but so are the lives of some of this novel’s readers—all for the good.