From Introduction Jane Urquhart is the author of several volumes of poetry, a collection of short-stories, Storm Glass (1987), and five novels: The Whirlpool (1986), Changing Heaven (1990), Away (1993), The Underpainter (1997), The Stone Carvers (2001). The first two novels, The Whirlpool, which won France's distinguished Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger in 1992, and Changing Heaven, received considerable critical acclaim. However, it was Away that brought Urquhart fame, becoming one of the best-selling novels in the history of Canadian literature. The Underpainter was awarded the 1997 Governor General's Literary Award, the most important Canadian literary prize.