In 1976, four students took a trip to the desert. Now the repercussions of the fateful summer are coming back to haunt them. As for Nina, she's having enough trouble with her son, James. But when Hugo, long-forgotten agent of misfortune, threatens to pay them all a visit, disaster seems unavoidable.

From the highly-acclaimed author of SMALL PLEASURES - winner of the 2022 British Book Awards Page-Turner

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In 1976 four students took a trip to the desert. Now the repercussions of that fateful summer are coming back to haunt them.

And repercussions are just what Guy doesn't need: his wife, Jane, is moving swiftly from slightly eccentric to downright peculiar, their three-year-old daughter seems set on destroying Jane's sanity, and now even God's gone quiet on him.

As for Nina, she's having enough trouble with her son, James. He's got exams looming, a new girlfriend with pneumatic breasts and now, it seems, he's on drugs. Nina certainly won't welcome any ghosts from the past.

Life isn't going smoothly for anyone. But when Hugo, long-forgotten agent of misfortune, threatens to pay them all a visit, disaster seems unavoidable.
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Praise for Clare Chambers:

'A wonderful novel. I loved it' Nina Stibbe on Small Pleasures

'Gorgeous. If you're looking for something escapist and bittersweet, I could not recommend more' Pandora Sykes on Small Pleasures

'An irresistible novel - wry, perceptive and quietly devastating' Mail on Sunday on Small Pleasures

'Chambers' eye for undemonstrative details achieves a Larkin-esque lucidity' Guardian on Small Pleasures

'An almost flawlessly written tale of genuine, grown-up romantic anguish' Sunday Times on Small Pleasures