"Karen Heuler's THE SOFT ROOM starts with a provocative premise and twists its way into unexpected territory. Exploring the meaning of pain and duality, her characters end up in a weirdly life-affirming landscape-the shape morality takes when faced with cruelty and senseless harm. Heuler's writing is clear and thoughtful, and as full of surprises as her story. She has a gift for the oblique, a quirky take on things that flows through the narrative like the atmosphere of a planet almost like our own. THE SOFT ROOM is a pleasure to read, fitting for a novel about sensation, and it also rewards the reader with memorable characters and ideas about important themes of our time." -Sally George, FROG SALAD "This absolutely stunning novel is told from the perspectives of twin girls, one of whom is born without the ability to feel any physical pain. The mesmerizing prose and deep characterizations nearly render the plot-while excellent in and of itself-almost unimportant." -Debi Lewis, BOOKLIST starred review ,!7IB9D1-jicdca!:P;l;o;T;p ISBN