Marvellously subtle, moving and funny JOHN BANVILE, OBSERVER Wonderfully written in every breath of every sentence HERMIONE LEE, GUARDIAN Wistful, bittersweet and often very funny DAILY TELEGRAPH It is approaching Thanksgiving weekend and Frank Bascombe has arrived at a state of optimistic pragmatism that he calls the Permanent Period of life. Epic mistakes have already been made, dreams downsized, and Frank reflects that now at least there are fewer opportunities left in life. But the tranquility he anticipated is not to be. In fact, as Thanksgiving dinner with his children and first wife nears, the Permanent Period proves as full of possibility as life has ever offered. Graceful, expansive and filled with pathos, The Lay of the Land is a modern American masterpiece.