From a broken bottle traces of perfume still emanate cover

From a broken bottle traces of perfume still emanate

by Nathaniel Mackey

"[Book title] is a lifelong epistolary novel that unfolds through N.'s intimate letters to the mysterious Angel of Dust. Unexpected, profound happenings occur as N. delves into music and art and the goings-on of his transmorphic Los Angeles-based jazz ensemble, in which he is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. The story opens in July 1978 with a dream of a haunting Archie Shepp solo, and closes in September 1982 on a glass-bottomed boat borne aloft by the music."--Back cover.

More by Nathaniel Mackey

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?