Spanning four decades and set in Liverpool during WWII and Nairobi in the 1950s, this is a novel of both epic proportion and intimate narration. At its heart is the poignant and powerful love affair between Mary, the young wife of an infantry soldier, and an intelligence officer who understands Africa. Their secret meetings are conveniently covered by the hysteria over the bloodshed and violence of the Mau Mau uprising in Kenya. We watch Mary as she moves from a too-young marriage, to the satisfaction of working in the Red Cross during WWII, to the jaded reunion six years later with her husband, to the headlong passion of mature love. The ending is a bombshell.