?‘A gorgeous, sweeping epic’ ANN NAPOLITANO 'A master of prose' WASHINGTON POST ‘One of my favourite writers' ROXANE GAY ‘Spectacular’ JOANNE SEFTON ‘I didn’t want it to end’ SARA SHERIDAN A breathtaking historical novel following the incredible construction of the Panama Canal and casting light on the unsung people who lived and laboured in its shadow – by acclaimed author Cristina Henríquez. It is said that the Canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. Ada Bunting, a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados, arrives alone in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work in the grand building project of the Canal. Francisco, a local fisherman, resents the foreign nations clamouring for a slice of his country, but nothing is more upsetting for him than his son Omar’s decision to work as a digger. For Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection and independence.