Collin is young, creative, and unhappy. A college dropout, he waits tables and spends his free time beautifying the streets of his hometown, with a box of chalk. Collin's art captivates passers-by with its vibrant colours and intricate lines - until the moment he wipes it all away. Nothing in Collin's life is meant to last. That is, until he meets Nina.

The daughter of a mega-rich virtual-reality mogul, Nina is trying to give back as a high school teacher - but her students won't listen to her. When Collin enters her world, he inspires her to be a better version of herself. Nina wants to return the favour.

This is a novel full of wit and spark... Irresistible and arresting. * New York Times *
Filled with exquisite pleasure... I absolutely devoured it. -- Geraldine Brooks * Author of People of the Book *
Coming-of-age stories never get old, and here's an especially sweet one... an old-fashioned romance that's wise and tender * Daily Mail *
What begins as a sparkling love story of an idealistic young teacher, Nina, and artist Collin, who works only in chalk, becomes a stunning, rich exploration of whether love, art, literature, and nature can compete with breathtaking virtual worlds. -- Helen Simonson * Author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand *

Allegra Goodman's novels include Intuition, and The Cookbook Collector. Her fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, amongst others, and her essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The New Republic, The Boston Globe, and The American Scholar. She lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts.