Farouk's country has been torn apart by war. Lampy's heart has been laid waste by Chloe. John's past torments him as he nears his end. The refugee. The dreamer. The penitent.

From war-torn Syria to small-town Ireland, three men, scarred by all they have loved and lost, are searching for some version of home. Each is drawn towards a powerful reckoning, one that will bring them together in the most unexpected of ways.

'A thing of such beauty and compassion, a reminder of what the very finest sentences can do to shatter and then reassemble our hearts' KAMILA SHAMSIE

'I struggle to think of a writer who has been so prolific and consistent in quality as Ryan ...Brutally honest, moving and often hilarious' GUARDIAN

'Donal Ryan has not only bounded over a wall into new territory, but built himself a castle there . . .This is a superb novel.' JOHN BOYNE

'Beautiful and affecting' DAVID NICHOLLS

'Donal Ryan writes characters so well that as a reader you think 'I've met that man', or 'I know that woman.' But as a writer you simply wonder 'how does he do it?

'An engrossing, unpredictable, beautifully crafted novel' RODDY DOYLE

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2018Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2018