The book opens with the narrator, Christopher, finding his neighbour’s dog dead on the lawn.

This would be a most traumatic experience for anyone, but Christopher tells us he feels sad. He does not appear to be very disturbed by the fact that someone has obviously killed the dog with a garden fork, and that it leaks blood from the holes; the reader, therefore, becomes aware quite early on that Christopher is a bit different to other people.

The Forncett Reading Group was keen to read the new Victoria Hislop novel, following her very successful debut offering – The Island. This new book is based in Spain at the time of the Spanish Civil War. Most reading group members knew little about this conflict, except that it was won by General Franco’s fascist faction. We looked for enlightenment but were disappointed. Aficionados have told us that the conflict was a complicated one that shouldn’t have been tackled in a 578 page novel – I believe they are right. Hislop obviously delved deeply into the history of the war, but at times it was difficult to know who was on which side and why.

Beautifully written by Rose Tremain who lives in Norfolk and teaches writing at the University of East Anglia, this was my introduction to her comprehensive list of Novels and Short Stories. It certainly won’t be my last.

The story centres around Lev, an Eastern European man who  travels alone to Britain to find work and money to help his beloved daughter and mother to survive back home.

Part travelogue; part love story / piano tuner’s instruction manual, and thriller; sadly this book never quite makes up its mind what it is.

Piano tuner Edgar Drake is commissioned to travel to Burma to tune a grand piano owned by Dr Carroll, medic, peace-maker and intermediary between the various tribes and the English Government. Shy, quiet Edgar takes leave of his wife of eighteen years, and boards a boat.