''Sad and funny, this is a wonderful book. I didn''t want it to end'' WOMAN''S WEEKLY

''An enthralling saga, set in Sweden, about the lives of two boys before, during and after the war ... impossible to put down'' THE TIMES

As a child, Simon was always aware that there was something different about him, something that caused late-night quarrels and sometimes tears. With the rise of Hitler in Germany and the coming of war to Sweden''s neighbours, the tensions increase.

Befriending a young Jewish boy, Isak, who is quickly taken under his mother''s wing, enriches Simon''s life, but makes it more difficult too - for Isak seems to fit in much better at home than Simon does.

With the war''s end comes the day when Simon must be told the truth. The truth about his affinity for the lake and its surrounding oak trees; for the strange dreams of an old man beneath the ways - and the truth about his past.