Exquisitely written and profoundly moving-the new literary novel from an award-winning Irish author.

'An exceptional, compulsive novel of love, loss and courage. SINEAD GLEESON

'Mary Costello is a writer of rare and exquisite sensitivity' PAUL LYNCH

'One of our foremost women writers' GUARDIAN

This is Anna's story.

In Dublin in 1985, nineteen-year-old Anna Hughes is in thrall to Peter Gallagher, an older, worldly man. Anna is introverted and naive, and Peter's experience, wide circle of friends and thirst for adventure captivate her. Her obsessive longing for him leads to marriage and, eventually, a crushing betrayal.

When Anna meets a kind-hearted Algerian man, she finds herself falling in love with him. Life with Karim offers stability and renewed hope and, slowly, Anna begins to uncover deeper layers of herself.

Unfolding over twenty-five years, this is a profound novel about the loss of innocence, the price of love, and the cost of seeking salvation in others. With her exquisite insight, Mary Costello tells a piercing story about longing, intimacy and the unpredictable road to discovery of the self.

'Brings to mind the elegance of Colm T ibin and the insight of Alice Munro.' MAGGIE O'FARRELL

'Mary Costello has a genius for taking ordinary, unheralded lives and discovering within them the disquiet, the disillusionment, concealed just below the surface.' AUSTRALIAN