‘A very cool and intelligent writer’ TLS

Described by the New York Times upon her death as ‘one of Britain’s best-known novelists’, plunge yourself into the wry world of Pamela Hansford Johnson in this story of seduction and marriage, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Jane Howard and Barbara Pym.

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Christine Hall, a mother in her late thirties, is on holiday on the south coast of England when she bumps into an old friend: Celia Baird, staying with her parents at the Moray hotel. Celia - eccentric, impulsive - is one of tangled group of friends who have Christine at their core. There’s architect Eric Aveling (who happens to be having an affair with Celia); his wife, terminally ill Lois; and Junius Evans, Eric’s business partner.

When death affects a shift in the dynamics of the group, none of them expect the final outcome.

Duty, guilt, secrecy, loneliness: the hidden side of marriage is uncovered as choices are thrust upon the characters.

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Praise for Pamela Hansford Johnson:

‘Witty, satirical and deftly malicious’ Anthony Burgess

‘A remarkable craftswoman’ A.S. Byatt

‘Hansford Johnson at her wittiest is Waugh mingled with Malcolm Bradbury Ruth Rendell

'A writer whose memory fully deserves to be kept alive’ Jonathan Coe