As Featured On Bbc2's Between The Coversdiscover The Tragic Masterpiece From Booker Prize-winning, Sunday Times Bestselling Ian Mcewan.one Windy Spring Day In The Chilterns Joe Rose's Calm, Organised Life Is Shattered By A Ballooning Accident. The Afternoon Could Have Ended In Mere Tragedy, But For His Brief Meeting With Jed Parry. Unknown To Joe, Something Passes Between Them - Something That Gives Birth In Parry To An Obsession So Powerful That It Will Test To The Limits Joe's Beloved Scientific Rationalism, Threaten The Love Of His Wife Clarissa And Drive Him To The Brink Of Murder And Madness.'a Plot So Engrossing That It Seems Reckless To Pick The Book Up In The Evening If You Plan To Get Any Sleep That Night' A.s.