ELEMENTALS

In the same delectable format as the MATISSE STORIES and THE DJINN IN THENIGHTINGALE'S EYE, this new collection deals with betrayal and loyalty,quests and longings, loneliness and passion - the mysterious absences atthe heart of hte fullest lives. A scholar pursues an elusive biographer,stumbling upon buried fragments of distant lives; a woman walks out of herprevious existence and encounters an ice- blond stranger from a secretiveworld; a schoolgirl draws a blood- filled picture of jael; a swimming poolreveals a beauteous monster inits depths. The settings range from the heartof Provence in summer to the cold forests of Scandinavia, form chalk-strewnclassrooms to herbscented hillsides, from suburban streets to rocky wilds.a marvellous present for all A.S.Byatt fans, this magical collection isalso the perfect introduction to one of our finest contemporary writers.