Set in the rural Dutch province of Overijssel in 1961, the story follows Isabel, a woman who lives a life of strict routine in her late mother's country home. Her disciplined existence is disrupted when her brother Louis brings his girlfriend, Eva, to stay for the summer. Isabel’s initial resentment and suspicion of Eva—fueled by disappearing household items—eventually transform into a deep infatuation. As the summer heat intensifies, a discovery about the house and Eva's true identity forces Isabel to confront the lingering shadows of World War II and the dark secrets of the past.

• •Winner of the 2025 Women’s Prize for Fiction
• •Longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize
• •Acquired in a nine-way auction in both the UK and US