The Nimbus A Novel
The Nimbus, a novel by Robert P. Baird, is set to be published by Henry Holt and Company on June 10, 2025. This 352-page work presents a unique narrative centered around a toddler son of a divinity school professor, Adrian Bennett, who mysteriously begins to glow. This phenomenon, known as the nimbus, disrupts the lives of those around him, including Adrian’s wife Renata and a graduate student named Paul Harkin, as well as a librarian named Warren Kayita. The story unfolds on a university campus in Chicago, exploring themes of marriage, religion, and parenthood.
Readers will find a blend of humor and satire as the characters navigate the challenges posed by the nimbus and its impact on their lives. The narrative delves into the complexities of family life and the struggles of belief in a secular world. As the glow draws attention and raises questions, the characters are forced to confront their convictions and the chaos that ensues. The Nimbus offers a thought-provoking exploration of spirituality and meaning, making it a notable addition to contemporary literature and fiction.
Official synopsis Publisher
A New Yorker Best Book of the Year
A dazzling debut novel about a child whose literal enlightenment sets the stage for an exuberant
tragicomedy of marriage, religion, and parenthood.
On an otherwise ordinary fall day on a university campus in Chicago, the toddler son of an ambitious divinity school professor named Adrian Bennett mysteriously starts to glow. The nimbus, as the strange, soft light comes to be known, offers no clues to its origin and frustrates every attempt at rational explanation.
Though the nimbus appears only intermittently, and not to everyone, the otherworldly glow quickly upends the lives of all those who encounter it, including Paul Harkin, Adrian’s broke and feckless graduate student, who likes being a graduate student a little too much for his own good; Renata Bennett, Adrian’s omnicompetent wife, who can’t see her son glowing even though the nimbus is turning her life upside down; and Warren Kayita, a down-on-his-luck librarian and aging divinity school alumnus on the run from a violent criminal. As news about the nimbus spreads around the university and beyond, Adrian, Paul, Renata, and Warren are set on a collision course that will threaten their lives and put their deepest convictions to the test.
At once a rollicking intellectual satire, a searing portrait of a family in crisis, and a thrilling metaphysical page-turner, The Nimbus offers a comic and profound examination of the persistence of spiritual belief in a secular age and humanity’s timeless search for meaning.
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “The Nimbus A Novel” about?
Who is the author of “The Nimbus A Novel”?
When was “The Nimbus A Novel” published?
What is the ISBN for “The Nimbus A Novel”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
