Colin's house should be empty. His flatmates have gone away for Christmas, as has his girlfriend Anna, who left without either of them admitting they're having problems. So who is the distraught woman in the lounge, along with a pushchair and screaming baby? Chloe's reasons for coming to this house are a tangle of past and present emotions and events that take some time to unravel. As she gradually opens up to Colin and faces the circumstances that have brought her here, so Colin finds her to be a 'lens' that makes his life 'leap into clear outline'. Each must come to terms with lost love, betrayal, and close relatives who have been strangers. Can their mutual suffering bring them resolution? Might there be new love to replace pain? Beautifully written, psychologically deep and tender, Emma Neale's latest novel probes behind the facades of New Zealand family life.

Author Biography

Emma Neale was born in Dunedin and was raised in Christchurch, San Diego CA and Wellington. After gaining her first literature degree from Victoria University, she went on to complete her MA and PhD at University College, London. She has written three previous novels, NIGHT SWIMMING (1998) , LITTLE MOON (2001) and DOUBLE TAKE (2003), and two collections of poetry, SLEEVE-NOTES (1999) and HOW TO MAKE A MILLION (2002), and edited CREATIVE JUICES, NEW WRITING (2002).