A masterpiece that can compare with Steinbeck's East of Eden... Some books make you laugh; some make you cry; some make you think. The Prince of Tides is a rarity. It does all three, Detroit Free PressA big, sprawling saga of a novel... the kind you can hole up with and put down feeling that you've emerged from a terrible, wonderful spell, San Francisco ChronicleA moving novel which manages to shock you, make you cry and laugh, Daily MailYou wish it would never end, Vanity FairIrresistible, Independent

Pat Conroy's inspired masterpiece relates the dark and violent chronicle of an astounding family: the Wingos of Colleton, South Carolina. No reader will forget them. And no reader can remain untouched by their story.

All Wingos share one heritage ... shrimp fishing, poverty and the searing memory of a single terrifying event - the source of Tom Wingo's self-hatred and of his sister Savannah's suicidal despair.

To save himself and Savannah, Tom confronts the past with the help of New York psychologist Susan Lowenstein.

As Tom and Susan unravel the bitter history of his troubled childhood, in episodes of grotesque humour, poignant lyricism and shattering violence, the door opens vividly onto a world peopled by a cast of colourful, eccentric and unforgettable characters.

Pat Conroy is the author of six books: The Boo, The Water is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides and Beach Music.