Ingrid tells the story of her relationship with Gil through a series of letters which she leaves hidden in his books.What starts as a love affair between a student with her university lecturer & author of "A Man of Pleasure" becomes a passionate & troubled marriage. Through the letters which become more compelling the more you read she reveals her secrets and inner most thoughts, we learn the significance of a single baby bootee & the cockerel. The last letter is written just before her disappearance leaving Nan and Flora with Gil, is she dead? Did Gil see her one last time or was she a figment do his imagination? Go back to the beginning and read the prologue again after the epilogue. Beautifully written it has everything betrayal, regret, guilt. I don't want to give anything away which might spoil what was for me a very enjoyable read.