Promotional Information

An impassioned, intense, haunting family drama from the author of AFTER YOU'D GONE and INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE

About the Author

Maggie O'Farrell was born in Northern Ireland in 1972, and grew up in Wales and Scotland. She now lives in London. Her debut novel, AFTER YOU'D GONE, was published to international acclaim, and won a Betty Trask Award.

Reviews

'Actually unputdownable, written with charge and energy and a kind of compelling drive, a clarity and a gripping dramatic insidiousness reminiscent of classic Daphne du Maurier' -- Ali Smith 'O'Farrell's subtlety and delicate touch have never been so finely demonstrated' -- Independent on Sunday 'Mesmerisingly good' -- Daily Mail 'O'Farrell's story-telling skills ensure that this novel is compulsively readable, and delivers strong emotional punch' -- Telegraph

O'Farrell (After You'd Gone) delivers an intricate, eloquent novel of family malice, longings and betrayal. Slim, stylish Iris Lockhart runs a dress shop in contemporary Edinburgh when she's not flirting with her stepbrother Alex or rendezvousing with her married attorney lover, Luke. Esme Lennox, meanwhile, is ready to be discharged from the soon-to-be-closed psychiatric hospital where she's been a patient (read: virtual prisoner) for 61 years. Iris becomes aware of Esme's existence when she's informed, to her disbelief, that she has been granted power of attorney over Esme by Kitty Lockhart, Iris's Alzheimer's-afflicted grandmother. It turns out Kitty and Esme are sisters, but Kitty kept quiet about Esme after she was hospitalized at age 16. Layer upon layer of Lockhart family secrets are laid bare-the truth behind Esme's institutionalization, why her existence was kept a secret, and a twist involving Iris's parents-as Iris mulls over what to do with her new charge, and Esme and Kitty reconnect. O'Farrell maintains a high level of tension throughout, and the conclusion is devastating. (Oct.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.