One Hour of Fervour

'A beguiling and human tale that sweeps us through the years' Daily Mail 'Exquisite. . . Readers will be rapt' Publishers Weekly Haru, a successful Japanese art dealer, appreciates beauty, harmony, balance and good saké. One evening at a party he meets Maud, an enigmatic Frenchwoman, and after a brief, intense romance he learns that she is pregnant with his child. But Maud issues him a heartbreaking warning: if he ever tries to see her or the child, she will take her own life. Quietly devastated, Haru resigns himself to loving his daughter from afar, and Rose grows up on the other side of the world, without ever knowing her father. Is it too late to change things? From international bestseller Muriel Barbery, this is a stunning tale of friendship, secrets and a father's enduring love.

Muriel Barbery is the author of four previous novels, including the IMPAC-shortlisted multimillion-copy bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog. She has lived in Kyoto, Amsterdam and Paris and now lives in the French countryside.