Two damaged souls find a chance at love on the English coast in this “darkly charming” novel by the author of Man Booker Prize finalist, The Hiding Place (Kirkus Reviews).

For twenty years Lewis has been haunted by his twin brother’s death. Try as he might to escape this tragedy, the ghost of Wayne confronts him at every turn. Anna is also haunted—by her loud and carefree mother, Rita, who just so happens to be very much alive. When Lewis meets Anna, he is pulled into a world of carousing, music hall turns, and cocktails as he searches for the person he believes responsible for Wayne’s death.

Against the backdrop of the Norfolk coast, with its massive skies and relentless seas, Anna and Lewis slowly learn to trust each other and accept that an uncertain future can be as wild and alluring as the landscape they have grown to love. In this deeply affecting novel, “Beryl Bainbridge, Muriel Spark and Graham Greene all come to mind, but Azzopardi’s style is all her own” (Chicago Tribune).

A New York Times Editors’ Choice