[close] Richmond's debut novel (2003), soon to be available in a new paperback edition from Bantam.

About the book:
Jenny has embarked on a mission up the Yangtze River--to scatter the ashes of her best friend, who was murdered 12 years earlier. The depth and nature of their friendship continues to occupy her thoughts and actions despite the passage of time. She has compelled her husband, David, to accompany her even though they've separated--his choice not hers. Their chance encounters, David's with a recovering drug user, Jenny's with an Australian with a grisly agenda, create an unusual four-part relationship as appropriate as it is peculiar. The amazing Chinese landscape and the pending dramatic changes to be wrought by the Three Gorges Dam are a fitting mirror for the lives of these in-transition characters...the book is finely crafted and compelling, and its emotions resonate true and clear. Danise Hoover, Booklist [close]