With the emotional intelligence of Maggie O'Farrell this is a novel of unexpected second chances set in 1950s England. Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper, living a small life from which there is no likelihood of escape. An investigation brings Jean into the lives of the Tilburys, but the more Jean writes the more her life becomes intertwined with theirs, in a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives ...