1850: A sea-chest full of books arrives for Antonio Mateus Carvalho Cabral, the younger son of a family of whalers on the small volcanic island of Pico ...

The Carvalho brothers - handsome Marcelinho and clever Antonio - are destined to spend their lives hunting whales. But the arrival of an unexpected gift changes both their lives forever. As the younger Carvalho discovers the fascinating world of the whale, a chasm opens between the two brothers, made all the more perilous by their shared passion for the alluring and wilful Margarida Machado.

From the Azores to Lisbon, from Newfoundland to Australia, our hero travels in search of love, fortune and his very soul. It is in Eden, a small whaling port on the south coast of New South Wales, that he finally finds salvation in the shape of Alice Binney, fellow lost soul and impostor, in flight from her dark past. An enduring bond forms between the two, culminating in a final, dazzling act of atonement.

Gloriously dark, delightful, witty and moving, Mr Carver's Whale is a novel of our many crimes against nature and the human heart, and the price we have to pay for our sins. But can love ever really be a crime?

'A vast and generous novel ... Author Lyn Hughes's love for her characters is evident, and while wonderfully poignant and whimsical, they are not without depth. Their rich inner lives are exquisitely rendered. Mr Carver's Whale is a delightful, almost mythical novel filled with books, ghosts, poetry, oceans, whales, love, desire and death. It is recommended for fans of Captain Corelli's Mandolin and A Gentleman in Moscow.' Books+Publishing

'This novel is one of the most captivating, unusual and gripping pieces of historical fiction I've read this year. From the very start I was swept up ... If you are a fan of historical fiction from Isabel Allende, you are sure to love Mr Carver's Whale. Hughes has written a sumptuous and gripping novel, with a unique setting and storyline that sets it apart.' Better Reading

'Dark and witty ... intense and convincing.' Canberra Times