The dazzling collection of stories from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Free Love and Late in the Day. **WINNER OF THE EDGE HILL SHORT STORY PRIZE** Two sisters quarrel over an inheritance and a new baby. A housekeeper caring for a helpless old man uncovers secrets from his past. A young girl accepts a lift in a car with a group of strangers. An old friend brings bad news to a dinner party. In these gripping and unsettling stories, the ordinary is made extraordinary and the real things that happen to people turn out to be every bit as mysterious as their dreams. 'These well-turned, exceptionally nuanced pieces are solidly evocative of place, period...and sensory detail' Sunday Times 'Few writers give me such consistent pleasure' Zadie Smith