Description
Book SynopsisWhen New Yorker Alex Nadal inherits his aunt''s farm near Barcelona he is more than intrigued. First, because his aunt appears to have died twice - once at the end of the Spanish Civil War and again sixty years later - and secondly because he is curious about his Catalan roots, about which his father has always maintained a stony silence.
But his arrival on Spanish soil is not a prodigal''s return; indeed he is made to feel very unwelcome. He asks too many questions which are met with either hostility or silence, until Alex begins to understand that in this sun-baked and ancient land the past is not history but merely unfinished business. And in the end it''s a simple ultimatum: finish it or it will finish him.
Trade ReviewAn assured and absorbing first novel with a background of Barcelona so vivid you can almost touch it * The Telegraph *
There is a great deal to like in this sophisticated novel... (Burgen's) touch is light, though the theme is dark * Catalonia Today *
Captures the vibrancy, tensions and flavours of the Spanish city while giving us a well written and intriguing mystery * Manchester Evening News *
Both a love letter and a character study of Barcelona, woven into a classic suspense plot -- Caroline Cummins * January Magazine *
Burgen... does a fine job paying homage to Catalonia in his first novel * Publishers Weekly *
