'Breathtaking' IndependentA story of an intense and troubled friendship between two men - one an artist, the other a critic - and of the women and children in their lives, of art and hysteria, of love and seduction.Longlisted for the 2003 Orange prize and an international bestseller, Siri Hustvedt's extraordinary third novel proved her peerless ability to stir both the heart and the mind. This paperback edition, published to celebrate Sceptre's 30th anniversary, features an exclusive new afterword by the author.'A love story with the grip and suspense of a thriller. It makes you ponder human existence with a peculiar mixture of stoicism and wonder.' TLS