In this edgy and masterfully written novel, Booker Prize-winning author Barry Unsworth explores the themes of the corruption of innocence and the complications of lust. A young Englishman in Istanbul, nervous at the reunion with his intellectual mentor, is stunned to discover that the former has become a pitiful alcoholic. "The progress of the book is tumescent, gathering sexual pace, and reaching a climax".--Times Literary Supplement (London).