A trancelike feminist fable of magic, alchemy, and the battle of the sexes by Britain's foremost surrealist painter

Calcination. Putrefaction. Exaltation. Trapped on an enchanted island ruled by her uncle, a young woman must pass through the stages of alchemical transformation to escape. He wants to conquer death by magic - and she may pay the price for his ambition.

Lushly visual, rife with symbols and cries from the unconscious, Colquhoun's first novel is a surreal feminist fable, and a supreme artistic vision.

Includes 'Hexentanz', a lost chapter from the original manuscript.

Introduction by: Jennifer Higgie