Wonderful. . . . Dark, funny, full of emotional intelligence and gripping from the start . . . beautifully written.
–Daily Mail The internationally bestselling author and host of The Graham Norton Show returns with a tense and darkly comic novel that casts a caustic light on the relationship between mothers and daughters and truth and self-preservation. Where do secrets live? Carol is a divorced teacher living in a small town in Ireland, her only son now grown. A second chance at love brings her unexpected connection and belonging–and sparks a flurry of speculation. What does a woman like her see in a man like that? What happened to his wife who abandoned him and his children all those years ago? Carol and Declan know their relationship is the talk of the town, but the gossip only serves to bring the couple closer. When Declan becomes ill, their relationship falters. His children are untrusting and cruel, and Carol is forced to leave their beloved home, with its worn oak floors and elegant features, and move back with her parents. Carol’s mother is determined to get to the bottom of things–she won’t see her daughter suffer this way. It seems there are secrets in Declan’s past, strange rumors that were never confronted, and suddenly the house they shared takes on a more sinister significance that affects them all.