“A captivating tale of Oufoula Sindede, an African diplomat in a passionless marriage who falls madly in love with Marguerite, a New York City artist. ” —Essence

Dutifully married to lovely Nerida, Oufoula goes through the motions, formally keeping his distance from the woman with whom he shares his bed. And yet there is a deeper, buried passion within him that will lead him to question which values he holds sacred and which can be sacrificed.

Despite his quiet marriage, the memory of a fiery love affair triggers Oufoula to entangle himself in the life of another woman, a Jamaican-born painter named Marguerite. Soon he discovers that Marguerite is nothing like his quick old flames or his gentle wife, Nerida—Marguerite is much more.

And so begins a whirlwind affair, spanning over twenty years, between a young woman who wants order and love and a man who is torn between the honors of his profession and his dishonorable love life; the old African customs of polygamy and the American dream; the passion for a mistress and the duty to a wife.

“A provocative new love story. ” —The Seattle Times

“Refreshingly ambitious in its intellectual scope. ” —The New York Times Book Review

“Right from the start of this haunting novel, Nunez adopts the mesmerizing myth-spinning voice of an oral storyteller … Nunez explores self-deception, envy, Christian monogamy vs. African polygamy, and the very real dilemma of loving two people at once. ” —Publishers Weekly

“A complex portrait of a love triangle by a gifted writer. ” —Booklist

A main selection of the Black Expressions Book Club