Blasphemer, the (Costa Novel Award'10 Shortlist)

He had always been scared of flying. Now, the fear is real. A plane crash. The water is rising over his mouth. In his nostrils. Lungs. As Daniel gasps, he swallows; and punches at his seat-belt. Nancy, the woman he loves, is trapped in her seat. He clambers over her, pushing her face into the headrest.
It is a reflex, visceral action made without rational thought...

But Daniel Kennedy did it. And already we have judged him from the comfort of our own lives.

Almost a hundred years earlier, Daniel's great-grandfather goes over the top at Passchendaele.A shell explodes, and he wakes up alone and lost in the hell of no-man's-land. Where are the others? Has he been left behind?

And if he doesn't find his unit, is he a deserter?

Love; cowardice; trust; forgiveness.How will any of us behave when we are pushed to extremes?