‘A glorious imaginative feat, full of complex, compelling, believable characters. Rarely have I been so captivated by a novel, so keen to hurry back to it and reimmerse myself in its world.’

Sarah Waters

'At the centre of this beautiful novel is an exploration of the difference between romance and true love,

‘Suggests that for those with the courage to take it, freedom is possible and may change the world.’

New York Review of Books

allegory and reality, history and the present...ends with a consummation both of its technique and of its story that is affirming, tender and a little bit glorious.'

Jon Day, The Guardian