The Hide

This early work by the Booker Prize-winning author Barry Unsworth chronicles one of his literary obsessions the corruption of innocence and forms it into a compelling contemporary narrative set in the rambling, overgrown grounds of an English estate. There, relying on his rich sister Audrey's beneficence, Simon obsessively digs a secret system of tunnels from which to spy on others. When Josh, a good-looking naif, becomes a gardener at Audrey's home, the two women of the household, Audrey and her distant relative and housekeeper, Marion, find Josh's strength and seeming innocence a potent spell, and his response escalates unacknowledged tensions between them. Meanwhile, Simon, worried about Josh, takes steps to prevent the exposure of his underground labyrinth. The explosive chemistry between the characters will eventually rip apart and rearrange all their lives.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 07/17/1997
ISBN: 9780393316322
Pages: 194
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.20w x 0.60d

Review Citations: New York Times 08/31/1997 pg. 20
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 01/01/1997 pg. 97
Publishers Weekly 06/16/1997