He's built a unique place with a unique atmosphere. But then he realizes he's dying, and he decides to leave the place to the two tenants likely to cause the greatest amount of trouble, and the whole enterprise goes up in smoke.

William Trevor's dark comedy, reminiscent of Evelyn Waugh and Muriel Spark, was his second novel.

'Trevor has the knack of slicing life so that it reveals lower layers we have not suspected' Daily Mail

'He tells you the most outrageous things in a most pleasant manner, hardly ever raising his voice' Guardian