Is Emilia, the wicked stepmother incarnate? Passionately in love with her husband, Emilia has a secret, guilty loathing for her precocious little stepson, William - a forty-year-old in a five-year-old's body, whom she picks up from nursery every Wednesday afternoon. He is lactose intolerant, she feeds him dairy products; he mustn't get cold, she pushes him - accidentally - into the pond in Central Park. How can she forgive William for living, when her own cherished child has gone? 'Moving and darkly funny, romantic, shocking, painful page-turner...says something new and interesting about women, families and love' - ''New York Times''. 'One moment I was laughing out loud...the next I had tears pouring down...whether you're a parent or not, you can't fail to be moved' - ''Daily Express''.