A group of Japanese tourists journey to the sacred River Ganges, each on a secret personal pilgrimage. Widower Isobe mourns for the devoted wife he neglected; gentle children's writer Numanda seeks out the bird he believes saved his life; Kiguchi is haunted by his time as a soldier along the Highway of Death; and Mitsuko reconnects with the classmate she tempted away from the church and cruelly discarded. At the softly lapping shores of the river - where the faithful come to bathe during their final moments - self-knowledge is sought and memories put to rest. Set against a rich backdrop of 90s India, Deep River is a beautifully moving story showing Endo at the height of his powers as a chronicler of religious experience.

"Endo's most probing novel since his masterpiece, Silence... beautifully crafted, mature work... essential for an understanding of his view of the human condition" - Independent

"Endo is one of the world's greatest novelists, a wizard with plot and character and description who writes a simple story about simple people and packs it densely with drama, challenge and finally faith" - Washington Post