(David Schmahmann's stunning debut novel is an accomplished, arresting tale of forbidden love during apartheid in South Africa. At once a compelling love story and a powerful commentary on life amidst political and social turmoil, Empire Settings announces the arrival of a significant new literary talent.

Danny Devin is a young white man in South Africa who enters into an illicit romance with a young, mixed race schoolgirl, the daughter of black domestic servant. When social constraints force Danny to end the romance, he travels to America with the hopes of starting a new life. There he meets Tesseba, a curious and trusting artist who takes him in and marries him to save him from deportation. The two build a life together, but Danny continues to be plagued by a growing sense of loss. Twenty years later, Danny returns to a "new" South Africa in the hopes of saving a family fortune and finding the girl he has never forgotten.

In precise yet lyrical prose, David Schmahmann spins a heart-wrenching tale that reveals the subtle, yet powerful intersection of politics and individual choice, and proves that nothing is ever only black and white.

"Artful, moving...[Schmahmann] displays a sure touch with character, plot, and atmosphere alike." (San Francisco Chronicle)

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