'This is a novel to lose yourself in; let the language pour over you, depositing its richness like waves lapping sand onto a beach. Michaels is a novelist of unusual and compelling power', The Times 'A thoughtful and ambitious novel. I suspect it also may be a great one' 'All except a handful of contemporary novels are dwarfed by its reach, its compassion, its wisdom... This is a book to read many times' Independent