Reissue of a novel which won the 1987 Miles Franklin Award. Originally published in 1986, this is a black tale. Hester Harper, ageing lame spinster and daughter of a wealthy landowner, brings home a 16-year-old orphan, Katherine, from the local store. Their symbiotic relationship is shattered when a man is killed and hidden down the well. The author has published three collections of short fiction, a collection of short essays and 10 novels including TMr Scobie's Riddle' and TMy Father's Moon', both winners of the TAge' Book of the Year Award. She has been awarded the ASAL Gold Medal for her contribution to Australian literature.