Citation

“To me, Simone Dalton’s What Remains, feels like the homecoming it describes in its pages. It is exactly the kind of intellectually aesthetic work that makes me feel like I’m returning somewhere I can live. It is at once a reflection of remarkable literary talent, political acumen, and skillful revelation. The writing bespeaks Dalton’s artistic curiosity as she layers that which is relatable (the death of a parent) with that which is unique to her subject’s remarkable journey (navigating kinship across geographic and emotional distances). Every moment reveals precise consideration of character and story. Lives are portrayed as simultaneously simple and complicated, controlled and messy, and I was left with the ugly-beautiful reminder of how family and love often reveal themselves when we’re not looking.” — 2021 WT Literary Nonfiction Mentor Jenny Heijun Wills