An exceptional novel, shortlisted for the Man Booker prize in 1985, this book reads like mythology. The characters' lives are intertwined by birth, relationships, and happenstance. The central figures are half brothers Edward and Stuart, each seeking a kind of redemption. The former is complicit in the death of a friend, and the latter seeks a life of study and chastity. It is difficult to describe the plot in detail as there are numerous twists, but I found myself drawn into their world and a very powerful way.

I listened to an audio-book version and wish that I had opted for a printed format as there were allusions and turns of phrase that I would have liked to spend more time with.

This is a novel that I will visit again.