'An unusual, intense, experimental novel' Daily MailIn the aftermath of the Great Depression, Elle Ranier marries Simon to escape a life of destitution.She leaves New York City for Lyra, a remote, wooded island off the south-eastern coast of America.There, amid rumours of strange jewels hidden beneath the water, Elle harbours a secret: her guest, Gabriel, is not a cousin but her lover. Their time together is brief, but throughout her long marriage to Simon, Elle never forgets Gabriel.Half a century later, as the mists of dementia creep in, she is still haunted by his fate.Poignant and poetic, The Stars Are Not Yet Bells is a mesmerising exploration of the limits of memory, and the people we can never forget. 'Poignant . . . a testament to love and loss' Washington Post