MJ Hyland was born in London to Irish parents in 1968. She studied law and English at the University of Melbourne, and is the author of two previous novels, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, and CARRY ME DOWN, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and winner of the Hawthornden Prize. Hyland now lives in Manchester.

MJ Hyland was born in London to Irish parents in 1968. She studied law and English at the University of Melbourne, and is the author of two previous novels, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN, and CARRY ME DOWN, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2006 and winner of the Hawthornden Prize. Hyland now lives in Manchester. ...less