In 1957 Lewis Aldridge, newly released from prison, returns home to Waterford, a suburban town outside London. He is nineteen years old. A decade earlier his father's homecoming at war's end was greeted with far less apprehension by the staid, tightly knit community—thanks to Gilbert Aldridge's easy acceptance of suburban ritual and routine. Nobody is surprised that Gilbert's wife counters convention, but the entire community is shocked when, after one of their jaunts, Lewis comes back without her. No one in Waterford wants Lewis back—except Kit, a young woman who sympathizes with his grief and burgeoning rage. But in her attempts to set them both free, Kit fails to foresee the painful and horrifying secrets that must first be forced into the open. The consequences for Lewis, his family, and the tightly knit community are devastating.

赛迪•琼斯

出生于伦敦，父亲是牙买加裔诗人及剧作家，母亲是演员，自幼在充满创造与想象力的环境中成长。当朋友们忙着在大学玩乐时，她已历经各种工作磨练。浪迹天涯后回到伦敦安定下来，结婚并育有两个小孩，从事电影剧本写作。本书是她的第一部小说，一出版即深获好评，在文坛上获奖无数。

版权销售21国，英美热卖过100万

蝉联纽约时报、泰晤士报各大畅销书榜

2008年“理查德与朱蒂”读书俱乐部夏季选书

2008年柯思达小说奖新锐作家奖

2008年柑橘文学奖决选作品