A certain poignancy suffuses this bitter-sweet novel about passionate love giving way to commitment, grief to a sort of healing. Stephen Griffin has been stunted emotionally due to the deaths in his childhood of both his mother and sister. His father Philip has wanted to die ever since but now, just as the cancer is finally beginning to gnaw at his innards, his son falls in love and Philip is inspired to make up for years of mourning. Stephen is awkward in most respects. He teaches history badly in Miltown Malbay. But Vivaldi, as interpreted by Italian violinist Gabriella, unleashes desire and he gives his all to a woman he knows only through his soul. Gabriella is wary of being lured by a heady romanticism, but she tries and it is enough for Stephen. Niall Williams introduces a sense of Celtic mythology into his writing, combining magical realism with a belief in the curative powers of fruit and herbal remedies. Some of the peripheral characters border on the folksy, but landcapes and the changing seasons are meticulously conveyed. The narrative throughout is powerful, and is driven by a sense of longing that what is shattered will be restored. Author of the international bestseller Four Letters of Love, this novel serves as a reminder that his is a gently mesmerising voice that seduces as it tells what is, in effect, a fairy tale.