'A mesmerising novel of love and betrayal that stays singularly in the mind after it has finished' Observer

It is 1918 and the world is at war. But this feels a million miles away for Laurel Shelton. In the house where her parents toiled and died, in the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains, Laurel aches for her life to begin. And then one day a stranger is discovered in the cove near her house. What follows is an unforgettable story of love, fate and divided loyalties.

"Rash tells great stories, raw and powerful ... He understands the way life works" - * Irish Times *

"An unmitigated joy to read" - * Independent on Sunday *

"Ron Rash is the best American novelist I have come upon in the last twenty years" - * Scotsman *

"Exquisite. A breathless sequence of events lead the book to its devastating final sentence" - * New York Times *

"Recalls both Steinbeck and Cormac McCarthy" - * New Yorker *

"Remarkable . . . Mr. Rash certainly knows how to rivet attention" - * New York Times on Burning Bright *

"Finds a narrow sweet spot between Raymond Carver and William Faulkner" - * Washington Post on Burning Bright *

"This book calls to mind Snow Falling on Cedars and Cold Mountain, but the poet in Ron Rash and his lyrical prose elevate this novel to its "Book of the Year" status" - * Irish Times on Serena *

"Serena could sit comfortably on any bookshelf alongside Cormac McCarthy or Charles Frazier . . . it's a spectacular book" - * Guardian *

"A superb book written by a talented author. Fans of Cormac McCarthy and John Steinbeck will love The Cove" - * Nudge *