A beautiful writer,Like a maker of fine lace, Kidman twists each thread of her plot – leaving some dangling while she gathers up others, weaving and criss-crossing each other until they meet to create a superbly crafted centre piece,Kidman’s interest in childhood, memory [and] self-empowerment creates a shock of recognition in the reader, but also suggests an essential loneliness at the heart of human affairs,In her craft and her storytelling, and in her compassionate, gutsy, tough expression of female experience, she is the best we have.