Anna Hunt has lost her memory and is on the run. From who and what she is unsure, but trapped in the present she seems certain of only one thing - she is somehow linked to the stolen painting currently being restored in the National Gallery. In a wonderfully unsettling first novel, Claire Kilroy manages to combine beautiful, poetic prose with the menacing atmosphere of a thriller as she explores themes of memory, violence, art and escape. 'A compelling read. The surprises are real and yet so subtly tracked . . . It's a thriller, a confession and a love story framed by a meditation on the arts.' Margaret Reynolds, The Times