“In this richly imagined novel, Brett Ashley Kaplan skillfully and playfully moves
between points of view, incorporating journal entries, novel excerpts, book reviews,
and nuanced environmental commentary. Following a vivid cast of characters which
includes a young photographer documenting interracial couples, a
Guadeloupean Jewish Melville scholar, a disappeared amateur cetologist and even
Yiddish speaking whales, this inventive novel takes us on a wild adventure from the
urban streets of New York’s East Village to the depths of the sea. Tender, confident
and bold, Rare stuff brims with vitality.”
-Ayelet Tsabari, author of The Art of Leaving, Songs for the Broken Hearted