appreciation

In 1937 Australia, a na?ve seventeen-year-old girl is awakened culturally and sexually by an Armenian visitor who relates exotic tales--including the "Epic of Gilgamesh" to her--and, two years later, as the world braces itself for war, she sets off with her young son to find him in Soviet territory.

"What begins as an affectionate reminiscence of Mannie Murphy's 1990s teenage infatuation with the late actor River Phoenix--specifically his role in Gus Van Sant's classic film, My Own Private Idaho--slowly transforms into a remarkable, sprawling account of the city of Portland and state of Oregon's long and shameful history of white nationalism"--Back cover.