Following a run of concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz, about to embark on a year of solitary wandering. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland, with no design yet heeding signs. In February, a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, 'Anything is possible: after all, it's the year of the monkey.'Riveting, elegant, humorous, illustrated by Smith's Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original touchstone for our turbulent times.