First published 2002
Leo Colston remembers one pivotal summer at thirteen, when he became an unwitting messenger between two forbidden lovers at a grand English country estate. Trapped between the passionate Marian and her secret lover Ted, Leo becomes the silent conduit of their dangerous affair, unaware of the psychological damage he will sustain. As social conventions and personal desires collide, the young boy finds himself manipulated into carrying increasingly risky communications. His naive involvement will shatter the delicate social fabric of the aristocratic world around him, setting in motion consequences that will haunt him for decades. Some secrets are too heavy for a child to bear.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: forbidden-love, messenger, secrets
Setting: England
Period: 20th-century
326 pages · Paperback · New York Review of Books