By the author of Astonishing Splashes of Colour, an ambitious and moving exploration of the lasting impact of the Second World War.

Oscillating between World War II and the early Sixties, Morrall sets about evoking the war's enduring impact on those who were left behind on the home front, too young to take part yet irrevocably shaped by it nonetheless ... an engaging story throughout. -- Hephzibah Anderson Daily Mail A potent evocation of the war on the Home Front and its emotional impact on the young people who survived it ... as much a tale about identity and survival as it is about the impact of national trauma on individuals ... Her dedication to authenticity has paid off. The novel resonates with the age -- Danuta Kean Independent on Sunday Clare Morrall is a writer with a gift for unflamboyant but effective storytelling ... her narrative has a cumulative power -- Nick Rennison The Sunday Times Unusually emotional and moving ... You'll fly through it in no time - and love every minute of this deep, engrossing experience. Essentials

Clare Morrall was born in Exeter and now lives in Birmingham. She works as a music teacher, and has two daughters. Her first novel, Astonishing Splashes of Colour, was published in 2003 by Tindal Street Press and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize. She has since published four novels: Natural Flights of the Human Mind, which is being adapted for a film, The Language of Others, The Man Who Disappeared, which was a TV Book Club Summer read in 2010, and The Roundabout Man.