At the center of this and "straight-to-the-gut and " (Publishers Weekly) novel is strong, lovely Augusta - Gus - wife and mother of three children, who is dying of cancer. In her last weeks she sits for a sculptor capturing her spirit in bronze - a brave final gesture for her young family. and "Above all, this poetic story is about the small, strange, and important ways people have of expressing love and " (Christian Science Monitor).