Tashi is the story of a young girl’s love for an older man. The two are brought together by their common love for music, Richard being a composer and she a budding cellist. As she matures into young adulthood, her love for the reticent composer is continually tested by jealousy, physical separation, parental concern, and above all, by his unconscious fear of rejection. Through it all, she is sustained by support from her eccentric but compassionate grandfather, who provides her with the ultimate key to unlocking her would-be lover’s suppressed desire. The novel draws on a theme familiar to both literature aficionados and opera-goers, the theme of a flawed man redeemed by a woman’s love. Most often associated with Richard Wagner’s operas, it tells of how an otherwise heroic figure, typically saddled with guilt or fear, is absolved from self-punishment by a woman whose love is deep and pure enough to transcend the most despicable of sins.

Paul Breer received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. In subsequent years he taught or conducted research at the University of Wisconsin, Cornell University, and Dartmouth Medical School. Since retiring, he has spent most of his time writing books (both fiction and non-fiction) and music. Tashi is one of his four novels, the other three being The Reluctant Savior, The Unwanted, and The Lady and the Lord. Breer currently lives in the mountains of Western Colorado.