Here is an eerily mesmerising debut novel that revolves around three fascinating characters: a mute girl called Clara, her epicurean guardian, Mr Crowe, and his mannered servant, Eustace. They live in a large country estate, in a setting that is geographically and chronologically ambiguous, able to enjoy a library full of treasures, including a Shakespeare First Folio.  

These characters are drawn in a compelling way that encourages the reader repeatedly to ask questions about them. Why, for instance, does Clara enjoy such phenomenal powers of memory that she is able to transcribe lengthy passages from seemingly any book in the literary canon on command? How has Crowe made the money to support his flamboyant lifestyle, and why is he able to gun down a man early in the book with apparent nonchalance and without leaving a mark on the corpse? And why does Eustace set about concealing that murder with such sangfroid?  Moreover, these characters claim no familial kinship, so what exactly are the personal bonds that exist between them?