“If Kumar had his way they would leave for Fiji every year just before Thanksgiving and not return until the New Year rang in and the decorations came down. They would swim with the fishes and lie on the beach eating papaya. On the years they were tired of Fiji they would go to Bali or Sydney or any sunny, sandy place whose name contained an equal number of consonants and vowels.”

American author

Ann Patchett is an American author. She is known for her novels, including Bel Canto, for which she received the PEN/Faulkner Award and the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2002. Her other novels include The Patron Saint of Liars, Taft, The Magician's Assistant, Run, State of Wonder, Commonwealth, The Dutch House, and Tom Lake. Her work has earned major recognition, and The Dutch House was a finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.