"Anna Enquist's novel revolves around the artist Johan Steenkamer, the women who are drawn to him, and his troubled family relationships: an absent father, manipulative mother, emotionally crippled brother. Present events are shadowed by the past. The loss of Steenkamer's daughter is an exploration of grief that will leave no reader unmoved." "There are undertones of Don Giovanni in the portrayal of the central character and in moments of the narrative; timeless dilemmas are counter pointed with those familiar to all contemporary working women."--BOOK JACKET.