'It's been a long time since a book has destroyed me like this.' Max Porter'Obsessed me from the first line.' Daisy Johnson'I'm in awe.' Brandon TaylorIn the tempestuous summer of 2005, a local veterinarian becomes enraptured by a 14-year-old farmer's daughter - his 'favourite' - as he tends her father's cows. This deeply troubled soul is our narrator: a man who believes he offers the object of his love a tantalizing path out of the constrictions of her conservative rural life, a chance to escape to a world of fantasy. But the obsessive reliance he cultivates builds into a terrifying trap, with a crime and confession at the heart of it that threatens to rip their small community apart.'Mesmerising . . .A singular, deeply discomforting talent.' Financial Times'An extraordinary literary achievement.' Daily Telegraph *****'I was floored by this novel . . .Unholy brilliance.' Observer'A unique creation and a tour de force of transgressive imagination.' Guardian (Book of the Day)