Abby Deneil takes a dream vacation to Brazil, and sees the dreamiest guy on the beach, chopping open fresh coconuts with a long machete and sticking a straw in them with a smile. Their eyes meet; there's instant chemistry. But neither says
a thing. He speaks no English, she no Portuguese. Abby sips her coconut in stupor. Months later, haunted by the specktor of her might have been perfect
match, Abby vows to never again miss a chance at love because she can't say
that most basic word: hello. Every day for a year, Abby learns a few key
phrases of a new language.
Hello.
How are you?
Do you want to have coffee?
I love you.
More.
Goodbye.
First up, of course, is Portuguese.
Your standard romance languages follow. But it isn't until Abby ventures into
the realms of Kwakitul and Xhosa that the internal sparks really start to fly.
Follow our budding linguist as she discovers the deeper meanings and nuance of
human communication over a year of languages, twisting her tongue - and her
mind - in unexpected ways. Of course she learns, in a culminating trip back to
Rio, that what remains unsaid between people can be the most powerful
communication of all.
