“The queen of beach reads” (New York Magazine) delivers another immensely satisfying page-turner in this tale about a summer of scandal at a storied Nantucket hotel.

Decades later in north London, sixteen- year-old Ada Kazantzakis has never visited the island where her parents were born. Desperate for answers, she seeks to untangle years of secrets, separation and silence. The only connection she has to the land of her ancestors is a Ficus carica growing in her back garden.

The Joke, Milan Kundera’s first novel, gained him a huge following in his own country and launched his worldwide literary reputation. In his foreword Kundera explains why this completely revised translation is the definitive edition of his work.

All too often, this brilliant novel of thwarted love and revenge miscarried has been read for its political implications.