Longlisted for the 2001 Booker Prize, a masterly new novel from Nobel Prize Laureate and Booker winner Nadine Gordimer. THE LYING DAYS, A WORLD OF STRANGERS and A GUEST OF HONOUR published alongside. 'A majestic and deeply moving saga ... profound and startling' DAILY MAIL

When Julie Summers' car breaks down in a sleazy street, a young Arab garage mechanic comes to her rescue. Out of this meeting develops a friendship that turns to love. But soon, despite his attempts to make the most of Julie's wealthy connections, Abdu is deported from South Africa and Julie insists on going too - but the couple must marry to make the relationship legitimate in the traditional village which is to be their home. Here, whilst Abdu is dedicated to escaping back to the life he has discovered, Julie finds herself slowly drawn in by the charm of her surroundings and new family, creating an unexpected gulf between them ...'As gripping as a thriller and as felt as a love song' IRISH TIMES