In a snowbound village in the heart of the Alps, a husband and wife find themselves adrift after the death of their firstborn. On the far side of the world, in their hometown of Sydney, a man on the margins of society commits an act of violence that galvanises international attention. As the husband recognises his own sorrow in both the survivors and the perpetrator, and tries to reconcile himself to his own private tragedy, he undertakes an emotional journey that extends from Asia to America, from the Pacific Ocean to the Scottish Highlands.

At the Edge of the Solid World is a compelling exploration of empathy and the terms on which we value the lives of others. From its most intimate of beginnings, it develops into a novel of epic grandeur, intricate design, and ever greater moral complexity. Visionary and profoundly moving, it confronts and contemplates difficult truths: that generosity depends on loss, that anguish and compassion are intertwined, that grief is all too often inextricable from love.