“The past grabs hold and will not let you go in this uncanny and beautiful novel. Strange and delicious in the manner of Rebecca.” Sarah Blake, author of The Postmistress
Set in the shimmering landscape of the southern Cevennes, Natalie Young's novel, alternates between the years immediately after the Second World War and the present day to explore a dark family secret and its ripple effect on people's lives. It is a heartbreaking story of love and ownership, misplaced desire and the damage done when the truth is withheld.
Kate and Stephen Glover are in need of a break from their hectic London life — go on a winter sabbatical in the secluded French village of Canas. The slow pace of life there affects them in different ways. While Stephen feels increasingly bored, Kate finds herself drawn to the village and to the beautiful, derelict chateau at its heart. But soon Kate's daily excursions over the chateau wall are spreading rumours in the village. What she doesn't know is that the house has a terrible legacy, and her private journey of escape and self-discovery is threatening to reawaken the trauma of a family, broken apart one summer's night more than fifty years before.
