A holiday weekend in Norfolk, England, conjures up an unsettling past in this “intelligent and unusual novel” by the author of Get Me Out of Here (The Times Literary Supplement).
The vast marshes on the coast of Norfolk hold many secrets. Henderson, haunted by this landscape since childhood, is finally returning for an August holiday weekend with his wife, Laura, their five-year-old son, and Laura’s cousin, Alice. They are joined by another couple of old friends, and all seems set for a relaxing break. But as the weekend progresses, the dynamic of this friendly group becomes as slippery as the land.
Each day, Henderson leads them on journeys across the marshes, revisiting the volcano-shaped dune and the fairy woods. But among the prehistoric forest remains where he played with his sister as a child, Henderson is forced to confront his shocking past, while Alice is reminded, all too vividly, of why she fled the Australia outback. Meanwhile, Laura battles to keep the group from splitting apart before the bank holiday is over, fearing irredeemable harm not only to her marriage but also to her little son.
