As overwhelming and addictive as first love, Charlie lives a life she never dared to dream of after her mother's death. She works in London at the publishing house that will soon release the new book by the award-winning Richard Aveling. When Charlie bumps into Richard, thirty years her senior, while having a cigarette in the rain, she is overwhelmed: For the first time, she feels seen and taken seriously. What begins as a cinematic encounter in the rain unfolds into an affair built on power, control, and silence. Charlie is consumed by love, the incomprehension of her friends, and the demands from all sides. Until it tears her apart. 'So haunting, powerful, and beautiful—a novel that lingers long after you've finished reading and sparks discussion.' Jodi Picoult New product