A broad and beautifully worked canvas . . . An imaginative, deeply felt and evocative tale, A daring, imaginative feat; the world it conjures is at once familiar and strange, and strangely moving. A splendid first novel, This is a strong and moving work of fiction about the hard truths of changing one's life. Colm Tóibín, like his characters, never says too much and never lets us grow too comfortable. A grand achievement, Colm Tóibín writes prose of a heartbreaking beauty., Clever, evocative and intelligent

Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of eleven novels, including The Master, Brooklyn, and The Magician, and two collections of stories. He has been three times shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2021, he was awarded the David Cohen Prize for Literature. Tóibín was appointed the Laureate for Irish Fiction 2022-2024.