When family tragedy strikes, Alice Fonseka, the dreamy, artistic child of a Singhalese mother and Tamil father, leaves the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. Unable to bear the injustice of what has happened, her family heads for England. There, in a totally foreign environment, Alice builds a life for herself and finds outlets for her art. But she remains restless, haunted by memories of the past, and, even in London, the threat of violence is never far away.

Roma Tearne: Roma Tearne is a Sri Lankan-born, Oxford-based artist, film-maker and writer. Her debut novel, Mosquito, was shortlisted for the 2007 Costa First Novel Award. The Swimmer was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2011 and Asian Man Booker in 2012.