Blue Sun, Yellow Sky

Aubrey is a painter on the cusp of success when she receives a life-changing diagnosis: very soon, she will be completely blind. She’s still reeling from the news when she runs into Jeff, an old friend, at a gallery opening featuring her paintings and accepts his spontaneous invitation to travel the world and see its wonders before it’s too late. The journey, which follows the pair through Jordan, India, China, Brazil, and Peru, is believable in its attention to detail—from children’s games to Peruvian porters’ footwear to the details of the facade of the Taj Mahal—but it remains somehow flat, providing information about each setting without bringing it to life. Likewise, Aubrey’s crisis—as a visual artist who is losing her sight—is described, and its psychology explored, but with an emotional distance that might leave readers feeling more like uninvolved observers than intimates: Aubrey mentions that she is grieving and afraid, though she shows few signs of actually having those feelings. Despite the distance, those who are reading for Aubrey and Jeff’s journey will find a memorable adventure. (BookLife)