A seductive and hugely suspenseful novel about what can happen when you look too closely into the past; The Photograph is the thirteenth novel by Booker Prize winning author Penelope Lively.

Searching through a little-used cupboard at home, Glyn Peters chances upon a photograph he has never seen before. Taken in high summer, many years earlier, it shows his wife, Kath, holding hands with another man.

Glyn's work as a historian should have inured him to unexpected findings and reversals, but he is ill-prepared for this radical shift in perception. His mind fills with questions. Who was the man? Who took the photograph? Where was it taken? When? Had Kath planned for him to find out all along?

As Glyn begins to search for answers, he, and those around him, find the certainties of the past and present slip away, and the picture of the beautiful woman they all thought they knew distort.

'One of Britain's most talented and experienced writers. The closer you look the more mystery you see' The Times

Blessed with the gift of being to render matters of great importance with a breath, a barely audible sigh, a touch. The result is wonderful writing.
One of Livelys most satisfying novels: cleverly conceived, artfully constructed and executed with high intelligence and sensitivity. ( Los Angeles Times ) An ingenious premise for a novel and Penelope Lively... spins it out with expert skill. ( The Washington Post ) Engrossing... engaging. ( San Francisco Chronicle ) Livelys [novel] maintains the high standard her fans have come to expect. Its another shining winner. ( The Boston Globe ) Original... bracingly intelligent. Rarely has a subject as elusive as lifes messiness been pursued with such unflagging rigor. ( The Atlantic Monthly )
One of Livelyas most satisfying novels: cleverly conceived, artfully constructed and executed with high intelligence and sensitivity. ( Los Angeles Times ) An ingenious premise for a novel and Penelope Lively... spins it out with expert skill. ( The Washington Post ) Engrossing... engaging. ( San Francisco Chronicle ) Livelyas [novel] maintains the high standard her fans have come to expect. Itas another shining winner. ( The Boston Globe ) Original... bracingly intelligent. Rarely has a subject as elusive as lifeas messiness been pursued with such unflagging rigor. ( The Atlantic Monthly )
One of Lively s most satisfying novels: cleverly conceived, artfully constructed and executed with high intelligence and sensitivity. ( Los Angeles Times ) An ingenious premise for a novel and Penelope Lively... spins it out with expert skill. ( The Washington Post ) Engrossing... engaging. ( San Francisco Chronicle ) Lively s [novel] maintains the high standard her fans have come to expect. It s another shining winner. ( The Boston Globe ) Original... bracingly intelligent. Rarely has a subject as elusive as life s messiness been pursued with such unflagging rigor. ( The Atlantic Monthly )
One of Lively's most satisfying novels: cleverly conceived, artfully constructed and executed with high intelligence and sensitivity. ( Los Angeles Times ) An ingenious premise for a novel and Penelope Lively... spins it out with expert skill. ( The Washington Post ) Engrossing... engaging. ( San Francisco Chronicle ) Lively's [novel] maintains the high standard her fans have come to expect. It's another shining winner. ( The Boston Globe ) Original... bracingly intelligent. Rarely has a subject as elusive as life's messiness been pursued with such unflagging rigor. ( The Atlantic Monthly )

Penelope Lively is the author of many prize-winning novels and short-story collections for both adults and children. She has twice been shortlisted for the Booker Prize: once in 1977 for her first novel, The Road to Lichfield, and again in 1984 for According to Mark. She later won the 1987 Booker Prize for her highly acclaimed novel Moon Tiger. She is a popular writer for children and has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Award. She was appointed CBE in the 2001 New Year's Honours List, and DBE in 2012. Penelope Lively lives in London.