The second novel from the Women's Prize-shortlisted author of Unsettled Ground explores the mysterious truths of a troubled marriage and the ripples it creates.
'Gil Coleman looked down from the window and saw his dead wife standing on the pavement below.'
Twelve years ago Flora's mother Ingrid disappeared, vanishing from a Dorset beach, presumed drowned. Everyone - especially her sister and father Gil - believes Ingrid is long dead. Everyone, except Flora. So when she hears that her father has had an accident, and is insisting that he saw his wife, Floral rushes home.
But the answers she seeks are nowhere to be found - only further questions:
Is Ingrid dead? Or did she leave? And do the letters hidden within Gil's books hold the answer to the truth behind his marriage, a truth hidden from everyone including his own children?
'Thrilling, transporting, delicately realised and held together by a sophisticated sense of suspense' Sunday Times
'Assured, multi-layered, wellcrafted, compelling, excellent' Mail on Sunday
'A beautifully told story of motherhood, marriage and infidelity' Good Housekeeping
*A Richard and Judy Book Club Pick*
FROM THE COSTA AWARD-WINNING, WOMEN'S PRIZE-SHORTLISTED AUTHOR OF UNSETTLED GROUND
Twelve years ago Flora's mother Ingrid disappeared, vanishing from a Dorset beach, presumed drowned. Everyone - especially her sister and father Gil - believes Ingrid is long dead. Everyone, except Flora. So when she hears that her father has had an accident, and is insisting that he saw his wife, Floral rushes home.
But the answers she seeks are nowhere to be found - only further questions.
Who did Flora's father actually see that day? Why is his house filled with towering piles of books? And might the letters hidden within them hold the truth behind her parents' extraordinary marriage?
'Thrilling and transporting' Sunday Times
'An eloquent tale of squandered love and seething secrets' Sunday Express
'A compelling portrait of a complicated, unconventional marriage, and of flawed humanity, with all its secrets, silences and deceits. Excellent' Mail on Sunday
'A beautifully told story of motherhood, marriage, and infidelity' Good Housekeeping
