This novel is concerned with the mystery and menace underpinning everyday life, focusing on Louise and Rennie whose dreamhouse, a decaying Tuscan villa is, in reality, the stuff of nightmares. However, as the long, hot summer and the story progresses, Louise's life begins to ripen with new and unconventional possibilities. Kate Grenville is the author of a collection of short stories and the novel "Lillian's story".