“Love is as strong as death, as hard as Hell.” This arresting quote opens an astounding story of damnation, redemption, and most of all, a love that transcends time. The story begins with the near-fatal accident of the narrator. He is a porn star, high on drugs and alcohol, the embodiment of a modern misanthrope. The accident leaves him with burns covering most of his body. His life until this had been meaningless; when he awakens in the burn unit of a hospital he feels himself as much a monster in form as in spirit. The only thought that consoles him is planning the perfect suicide. Into this setting of utter perdition walks Marianne Engel, a beautiful, successful sculptress and schizophrenic currently a patient in the hospital’s psych ward. If all this isn’t implausible enough, Marianne proceeds to reveal that she and the narrator were lovers, 700 years ago, in medieval Germany. And yet, with Marianne’s incredible but compelling stories come belief—in life and love that unquestionably conquers all. If you like quirky historical fiction a la Umberto Eco (The Name of the Rose) and Patrick Susskind (Perfume) this is your next great read.