After Such Kindness

Inspired by the tender and troubling friendship between Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell, this novel brings to scintillating life an idiosyncractic genius and his timeless muse When the writer, Oxford scholar, and photographer John Jameson visits the home of his vicar friend, Daniel Baxter, he is entranced by his youngest daughter, Daisy. Jameson charms her with his wit and childlike imagination, teasing her with riddles and inventing humorous stories as they enjoy afternoons alone by the river and in his rooms. The shocking impact of this unusual friendship is only brought to light when, years later, Daisy, unsettled in her marriage, rediscovers her childhood diaries hidden in an old toy chest. Will reading the secrets held in those gilt-edged pages help fill the gaps in her memory and explain why the touch of her kind, considerate husband fills her with such revulsion? With the same assured feel for the Victorian period displayed in her prize-listed debut, this book demonstrates Gaynor Arnold's extraordinary capacity to imagine the truth behind the facts.