Parts of a World

Mojtabai (All That Road Going) explores the obscure motivations of those who choose to live on the margins of society in this smart, subdued novel. Tom Limbeck is a harried, somewhat antisocial New York City social worker harboring a fixation on one of his cases, that of a homeless man named Michael whose circumstance presents a maddening puzzle. As Tom's single-minded investigation into Michael's life becomes tied up in his own quest for meaning in "a world alive with expectation%E2%80%94and delusion," Mojtabai plays with notions of reality as she subtly portrays Tom's steady and inevitable decline. Tom explores the delusions of his own childhood as he searches for a way to disabuse Michael of his, examines his faith as he tries to unlock the mysteries to Michael's, and withdraws from society even as he strives to compel Michael to connect with it. While the story has a tendency to get stuck in its own head, Mojtabai's sophisticated handling of her characters' delicate psychology lends this story of paradoxical obsession and unraveling a dreamlike mood that trades narrative zing for its atmosphere of dread. (June)