Fifteen-year-old István lives with his mother in a quiet apartment complex in Hungary.
New to the town and shy, he is unfamiliar with the social rituals at school and soon becomes isolated, with his neighbour – a married woman close to his mother’s age – as his only companion.
As these encounters shift into a clandestine relationship, István’s life spirals out of control.
Years later, rising through the ranks from the army to the elite circles of London’s super-rich, he navigates the twenty-first century’s tides of money and power.
Torn between love, intimacy, status, and wealth, his newfound riches threaten to undo him completely.
‘A revelatory novel’ – Sunday Times
‘So much searing insight into the way we live now’ – Observer
‘Refreshing, illuminating and true’ – Financial Times
‘Compelling and elegant, merciless and poignant’ – Tessa Hadley
‘Brilliance on every page’ – Samantha Harvey
‘Spare, visceral, urgent, compelling. This book doesn’t f**k around’ – Gary Stevenson
‘So brilliant and wise on chance, love, sex, money’ – David Nicholls
‘How do I get out of a reading slump? This is the book to do that’ – Rhianna Dhillon, BBC Radio 4
Delivery options
Orders are processed and dispatched Monday to Friday.
Estimated Dispatch Times:
Items are usually dispatched within twenty-four to seventy-two hours. Dispatch time does not include delivery. If one or more items are not available when you place your order there may be a delay in dispatch, so that we can send your items in as few parcels as possible.
Latest UK Delivery Estimates
- 1st Class - 1-2 working days
- 2nd Class - 2-3 working days
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Latest International Delivery Estimates
- Europe - Standard 7-10 working days
- Europe - Tracked and Signed 4-7 working days
- Rest of the World - Standard 15-20 working days
- Rest of the World - Tracked and Signed 10-15 working days
Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe.
Overseas Delivery Information
We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin.
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