Description

‘People are mysterious. And they do reveal mysterious connections. But sometimes one is merely anxious to alter the script. It was not the first time I had been guilty of a misapprehension’

At twenty-nine, Claire Pitt is single but not inexperienced. Attracted to Martin Gibson, a former academic married to a beautiful, manipulative invalid, she and her friend Wiggy are drawn deeper into his world. When Martin is widowed, Claire sees a possible future for herself and begins to make plans. But Martin is both more and less than he appears, as Claire is about to discover . . .

‘All of Brookner’s novels are great. But this is one of the best’ Independent on Sunday

Publisher Review

How can anything be so funny and so sad both at once? Every sentence is an object lesson in compression and wit. * Tessa Hadley on A Start in Life, Guardian Summer Reads, 2015 * All of Brookner's novels are great, but this is one of the best . . . Brookner, though acclaimed, deserves more excitement, more rapture from us. Hotel du Lac and the Booker Prize were a long time ago, and it's not her fault if she has bloomed equally brightly every year without fail. I think we're taking her for granted if we don't jump up and celebrate this book right now -- Julie Myerson * Independent on Sunday * Her technique as a novelist is so sure and so quietly commanding. * Hilary Mantel, Guardian *