ABOUT
THE BOOK

In Salthill-on-Hudson, a half-hour train ride from Manhattan, everyone is rich, beautiful, and – though they look much younger – middle-aged. But when Adam Berendt, a charismatic, mysterious sculptor, dies suddenly in a brash act of heroism, shock waves rock the town.
But who was Adam Berendt? Was he in fact a hero, or someone more flawed and human? His loss and the rumours that surface of his possible lovers plunge his friends into grief, confusion and self-reflection. The women who loved Adam find themselves engaging in life-altering romantic adventures. The men who were Adam’s closest friends become utterly transformed in his absence. Adam’s lawyer, Roger Cavanagh, who has broken the law for Adam’s sake, becomes involved with an elusive and perhaps treacherous young woman. Marina Troy exiles herself to fulfill a wish Adam had made for her. Lionel Hoffmann sets out, unwisely but with great hope, to recapture his lost youth after a lifetime of soulless financial success, even as his wife, Camille, discovers an unspeakable joy close to home. Agusta Cutler, a hitherto sensuous, unreflective woman, defiantly endeavours to solve the mystery of Adam’s origins, even if it means losing her marriage and family.