Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize

Disillusioned with his successful life in London, Richard Godwin moves to a remote Cumberland village in search of a more fulfilling existence. His arrival coincides with a birth of an illegitimate child to a local woman, binding her to a future she had hoped to escape. As these two outsiders struggle to come to terms with themselves - and each other - their passion, desperation and delight draw all those around them into conflict.

''As near to being a work of art as makes no difference. I became more and more deeply and enjoyably immersed'' The Times