The Slowworm'S Song Av Andrew Miller

<p><b>By the Costa Award-winning author of <i>Pure</i>, a profound and tender tale of guilt, a search for atonement and the hard, uncertain work of loving.</b><b><br><br>''The writing is near perfect. But the novel''s excellence goes far beyond this . . . You read [it] . . . with your pulse racing, all your senses awake'' <i>Guardian</i></b><br><br><b>''A beautiful, lambent, timely novel'' Sarah Hall</b><br><br>An ex-soldier and recovering alcoholic living quietly in Somerset, Stephen Rose has just begun to form a bond with the daughter he barely knows when he receives a summons - to an inquiry into an incident during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. <br><br>It is the return of what Stephen hoped he had outdistanced. Above all, to testify would jeopardise the fragile relationship with his daughter. And if he loses her, he loses everything. <br><br>Instead, he decides to write her an account of his life; a confession, a defence, a love letter. Also a means of buying time. But time is r