As usual Robert Clark writes with piercing assessment of characters - he opens up the emotional and pyschological worlds of men - even silent men - in a remarkable way. The story line posed many surprises, many ups and downs in the relationships of these two couples and the foreshadowing Clark does kept me wanting me to quickly move forward in the book. Clark holds back no needed description and reflection as to where people's loneliness and need to find purpose - or to control another - leads them. I loved the way the story brought to light the contradictions within people, our inability at times to control our passions despite the harm they bring, and how our understanding and assessment of people we know grows and changes over time.