LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE RECIPIENT OF THE PRIX FEMINA ETRANGER SHORTLISTED FOR THE GOVERNER GENERAL S AWARD The most singular book ... a psychodrama that is both timeless and up-to-the-minute. Guardian A classic, but with contemporary urgency thumping through it. Claire-Louise Bennett A novel of deep insight and scarring honesty. Independent A woman invites a famed artist to the remote coastal landscape where she lives. Drawn to his paintings, she believes his vision may penetrate the mystery at the centre of her life. But as a long, dry summer sets in, his provocative presence soon twists the patterns of her secluded household.