Tóibín is at the height of his powers in this exhilarating novel of the 20th century - a sweeping story of unrequited love and exile, war and family. He tells the story of Thomas Mann, whose life was filled with great acclaim and contradiction. He would have six children and keep his homosexuality hidden. He was a man forever connected to his family and yet bore witness to the ravages of suicide. Through one life, Colm Toibin tells the breathtaking story of the twentieth century.