This is the best Anita Shreve I have read. In her other novels, Shreve has shown her strength in writing about emotion, particularly the pain of loss or unfulfilled love. This subject is at the centre of this novel: the story of how a reunion after 31 years between a man and woman who previously spent only one week together when they were teenagers. The novel examines the nature of time, of love and disappointment in life, as both characters face the mid-points in the lives with a realisation that they are not happy or fulfilled. Every sentence is beautifully written, every mood carefully evoked against the bleak weather and the gathering storm clouds of financial and emotional melt-down as the couple head towards the inevitable reckoning. A wonderful read which will leave you gasping in amazement at the sheer strength of Shreve's quiet art.