The place is Dublin. The time is the present. Five characters - two Irish, three from eastern Europe, all seeking success from wildly different starting points - become entangled with one another in a web of politics, property, sex and violence. Chris Binchy's breakthrough novel is a beautifully observed portrait of a time and place, and a thrillingly paced story of characters brought together by circumstance, ambition and need.

Bestselling Irish author Chris Binchy makes his American debut with a wonderfully charming and bittersweet story of friendship, love, and second chances.When the bright but tongue-tied David sees the magnetic Camille at a party, he plays it safe, asking his smooth and charming best friend, Alex, to make the introduction. But even though David was the one to notice Camille, it's the ever-confident Alex who makes the first move on her. As David watches his best friend walk away with the girl of his dreams, he becomes painfully aware of just what he has lost through his hesitant, overcautious approach to life.Shedding his disappointment, David leaves home in search of a new beginning. But neither distance nor time can erase the memory of Camille. Buoyed by his newfound self-assurance and a fresh perspective, David is ready to try again. He will face the would-be love of his life and act on his feelings, whatever the cost to his friendship with...