The first few chapters of this book drove me to distraction with their constantly shifting viewpoint - often multiple changes within a single paragraph. Most disorientating! Not to mention the way characters seemed to appear and disappear in scenes as if by magic.

Fifty or so pages in and things improved, with the narrative moving onto more familiar ground with a bit of fornication and mild farce. By the time I reached the end I was surprised just how much had happened in such a short book. I think this is down to the author's knack of zeroing in on a situation, concentrating on the essentials and leaving the rest out. Similiarly, the storyline is seldom boring because just as you feel a yawn brewing, the narrative cuts directly to the action.

On the other hand I would have liked to learn more about the character Edward, given that he is so central to the plot. In a bid to pack in more characters, situations and drama I felt he was starved of personality time. By the time events reached their conclusion I felt unqualified to decide who was right about him - Sophie the Junior Navy Wife and sometime feminist who has an affair with him, or her unsuspecting husband.

All in all worth a read, but not as good as Anderson's superb novel The Swing Around ( )