2 A.M. at the Cat's Pajamas

This is a pure, winter comfort read that belies the pain and loss at the heart of the story. Madeleine Altimari is living in a cockroach infested apartment with a father nearly comatose with grief after the death of his wife. Jack Lorca is on the verge of losing his jazz club not to mention the tenuous relationship he has with his son. Sarina Greene is divorced and lonely in a new city. But the language that ushers each of them, inexorably, to the Cat's Pajamas is dazzling and light. Musicians arpeggiate through the park and flurries somersault, reconsider and double back. The writing is sharp and wry and imbued with a sparkling touch.