This collection of fifteen stories from the cult author of Ice examines war and mental illness from her signature surreal point of view. Inspired by Kavan's own experiences nursing traumatized Second World War soldiers and as a patient in various asylums, these pieces communicate the claustrophobia and isolation of life amidst conflict or caught in the gears of an institutional machine - but also the stunning beauty of physical experience, as her cast of outsiders find themselves ...

A painter is working in creative isolation, under factory conditions amid a crowd of vapid typists. On discovering a note praising his work and inviting him to meet a mysterious Administrator, he decides to abandon his post and follow this lead to the remote mansion at Eagle's Nest. In this castle-like outpost, he meets blank-faced employees and wanders through networks of strange halls, yet the Administrator remains elusive and the painter's grip on reality grows ever shakier.As u...

'A strange and compelling classic of dystopian and climate fiction, one that with foreboding and deep compassion maps the psyche and the terrain of dislocation' - Jeff VanderMeer'One might become convinced that Kavan had seen the future' - New YorkerIce will soon cover the entire globe. As the glacial tide creeps forward, society breaks down. Hurtling through the frozen chaos is a nameless narrator, seeking the white-haired girl he...