Not the most original of themes: a marriage of convenience between Brader, an overbearing wealthy merchant, and Julia, a naive young woman who has somehow survived the psychological abuse of her family of down-and-out amoral aristocrats.

Plot holes abound and every time Julia puts a foot wrong her giant of a husband appears out of nowhere to catch her before she trips -- again, and again, and again.

Although the broad sweep of the narrative is contrived and predictable, the story abounds with glittering gems of vivid and unexpected detail. The most memorable character in the book is Nan, Brader's blind and fragile mother. Her main role in the narrative would appear to be the revelation of tantalising snippets of information about her relationship with Brader's father, but her gentle wisdom and sympathy provide a solid pivot around which some of the more frenetic action revolves, grounding what might otherwise have been an improbable story.

Ms Maxwell's debut novel testifies to a lively imagination and a fine writing style, but it could have been improved by a more disciplined control over the narrative. ( )