Moetai Brotherson's sweeping and witty novel addresses these weighty matters through the voices of two very different heroes - Vaki, a gifted chess-playing Marquesan mute and Philippe, the French psychologist who commandeers his story.

Moetai Brotherson's sweeping and witty novel addresses these weighty matters through the voices of two very different heroes - Vaki, a gifted chess-playing Marquesan mute and Philippe, the French psychologist who commandeers his story.