'Miranda Seymour tells a gripping story, and with consummate skill has converted a strange event from literary lore ...into the art of a fine and subtle fiction' John Banville 'This is a novel with the tension of a thriller and yet the resonance of a deeply contemplative work. It is an experiment that works superbly' Margaret Forster, Literary Review 'The Telling is a mesmerizing account of a mind bent, but not broken. Seymour writes with a beautiful surety of touch and tone, loading every compact sentence with layers of meaning' Kate Saunders, Independent 'Miranda Seymour is that rare contemporary phenomenon, the good biographer who is also a good novelist. With her new novel she joins Peter Ackroyd near the summit of this two-handed life ...This is a compelling and frightening book' Candia McWilliam, New Statesman 'This is a richly patterned work which accommodates a vibrant variety of characters, relationships and scenes. It's a mark of Seymour's ability that she manages to evoke so many different settings and sets' Harry Ritchie, Daily Mail