Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
'Every act has a past. Events don't just materialise from nowhere.' Ras is a former attendant at London's National Gallery who, having become fascinated with the work of Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca, is now awaiting trial for the theft of one of his paintings. His lawyer, Elizabeth Saunders, must piece together his story, and that of enigmatic bon viveur writer Alex Benson - a story that leads from war-torn Sri Lanka to London, to the hills of Italy where, despite the serenity of the landscape, war's shadow looms long and large. A vivid fresco of art, love and loss from the LA Times First Fiction Award-shortlisted author of Mosquito.
Synopsis
'Every act has a past. Events don't just materialise from nowhere.'
Ras, a Tamil exile in London, is awaiting trial for the theft of a Renaissance masterpiece. Searching for the truth behind her client's act, Ras's lawyer, Elizabeth Saunders, must piece together his story and that of enigmatic British writer Alex Benson. The trail she follows leads from Sri Lanka to the hills of Italy where, despite the serenity of the landscape, war's shadow looms long and large.
A vivid and moving fresco of art, love and loss from the LA Times Prize-shortlisted author of Mosquito and Brixton Beach.
'Tearne ... writes with cleareyed love for the country of her childhood and depicts its lush decay in painterly detail ... Hope, love and history collide with an unsparing force that resonates into the contemporary world' New York Times
'A finely crafted novel of art, memory and migration' The Independent
Synopsis
In this 'finely crafted novel' The Independent], Roma Tearne tells the story of a Tamil exile awaiting trial for art thievery.
'Accomplished ... painterly' New York Times
A story of obsession, love and art set in Tuscany, Sri Lanka and London.
Ras, a Sri Lankan who fled his country as a child following the violent death of his mother and his father's disappearance, has committed a crime. Dogged by his past and unable to come to terms with the killing of his mother, he struggles to make a new life for himself in the UK.