In the same delectable format as the MATISSE STORIES and THE DJINN IN THE
NIGHTINGALE'S EYE, this new collection deals with betrayal and loyalty,
quests and longings, loneliness and passion - the mysterious absences at
the heart of hte fullest lives. A scholar pursues an elusive biographer,
stumbling upon buried fragments of distant lives; a woman walks out of her
previous existence and encounters an ice-blond stranger from a secretive
world; a schoolgirl draws a blood-filled picture of jael; a swimming pool
reveals a beauteous monster in its depths. The settings range from the
heart of Provence in summer to the cold forests of Scandinavia, form chalk-
strewn classrooms to herbscented hillsides, from suburban streets to rocky
wilds. a marvellous present for all A. S. Byatt fans, this magical
collection is also the perfect introduction to one of our finest
contemporary writers.