This mesmerising novel draws us in to a life that none of us would choose. Uncompromising in confronting our assumptions about choice and responsibility, it takes us deep into the psyche of a young woman unable to escape domestic abuse - first from her loving father, then from a partner who oscillates between protection and vicious physical abuse. Germaine grows in strength and maturity but is in the end powerless to save her infant daughter. This subtle, intelligent novel soothes as well as disturbs, like the undulating music of the flute that flows through it.