Rose Gregory has suffered a devastating blow, a double bereavement from which months later she is still reeling. Sanctuary and rest are prescribed by her doctor. But when she arrives at her refuge, a dank and decaying Monastery, she finds it is not the haven promised. Despite the veneer of calm contemplation, the Monastery turns out to be a hotbed of intrigue and disharmony. Rose witnesses bullying and cruelty and ultimately in defence of the vulnerable turns to violence herself. Sylvia Colley’s extraordinary understanding of a woman’s struggle to deal with grief, the denial, the anger, the loneliness, is described without sentimentality. A beautifully written and moving story.

‘Sylvia Colley writes so movingly about grief. This is a very good book’ Piers Plowright, Radio 4. ‘I was very impressed with Ask Me to Dance, perfectly structured and so moving’ Anne Cater, ‘A touching and beautiful novel’ Love Reading

Sylvia Colley lives in Pinner, North London and spent many years as Head of English at the Purcell School. She has published a book of poetry, It’s Not What I Wanted Though and two novels, Lights on Dark Water and Ask Me to Dance. Her poetry and a documentary, The Tale of Three Daughters, about her life and the loss of two of her children, have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4.