Permanence

From one of Granta's best young British novelists, author of the critically acclaimed science fiction novels The Water Cure and The Blue Ticket, comes the story of a secret affair and an alternative city that seems tailor-made to nurture it... Clara and Francis are in love, but no one knows it. For months, they had been sneaking away from their lives, leaving no trace of their relationship. Their time together is always painfully sweet and very short. Until one day they woke up in an apartment that neither of them knew, without remembering how they got there. They find themselves in a new, nameless city, a self-sufficient haven where unfaithful people live openly as married couples. Here there are fountains, ancient squares and idyllic cafes with square tablecloths. Ripe fruit waits on the table every morning, invisible threads link each lover to the other, and their primary responsibility is to enjoy each other. Communication with the real world is impossible, and the vicissitudes of the city are mysterious, but those stolen evenings now never end. What would you sacrifice for a life you never imagined possible? How long can you stay in this paradise before the cracks start to show? An exploration of desire, renewal, and choice, Immortality explores the dilemma of whether anything can withstand the weight of everyday eternity.