I've really enjoyed all of the Andrew O'Hagan books that I've read, but this is quite a departure from the others. It's more ambitious in structure, and more powerful emotionally, which is not to say the others haven't been powerful, just that this novel carries quite a punch. There are two overlapping stories here. Anna Quirk, elderly and in the early stages of dementia, was once a pioneer of British documentary photography. Her grandson Luke is serving in Afghanistan where something terrible happens, which causes him to return to Scotland. Both narratives are extremely convincing and authentic. O'Hagan's writing about the effect of both war and dementia are powerfully convincing. Following Luke's return home, he and Anna set out for a last visit to Blackpool. Her secret past begins to emerge, and the damage done to Luke in Afghanistan starts to effect him. This is a story about the unreliability of memory, the appalling impact of war, about love and secrets, and the complications of truth. This novel, I'm sure, will be in the running for the Man Booker in 2015.