Related by Sonya after her husband’s death, it is the fictional memoir of a passionate woman who leaves her loving family and the vibrant culture of Moscow to live as the wife of a tormented genius. Isolated in the country, almost constantly pregnant and in charge of the estate, she spends every spare moment copying Tolstoy’s prolific writing, in a labour of love that almost defies belief. Yet such is the devoted nature of her love. As for Tolstoy, he never resolves his conflicted feelings towards woman as virgin, mother, and whore. His frequent contemptuousness drives Sonya to his diaries for proof of his love.

This pseudo-memoir is a domestic drama of epic proportions, built on the bedrock of Tolstoy’s work and given new life through the subtle characterisation of his wife. Revelations from the couple’s diaries, which they wilfully leave out for the other to read, push the story forward. Fiction and reality merge seamlessly and their interconnection becomes the dominant theme, as Tolstoy’s moral conflicts play themselves out in his characters and Sonya’s jealousy compels her to undertake a fascinating analysis of Anna Karenina.

Armstrong’s familiarity with the Russian language and culture makes for assured storytelling imbued with a sense of authenticity. The language is restrained, the choice of words immaculate. The fluidity of the prose and the strong emotional undercurrent make what could have been a rather arcane novel a most compelling one.