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Set in the 1950s, this novel is an accessible and engaging look at pre-verbal experience. Infancy literally means 'the inability to speak'; a mysterious time. The protagonist, Dr. Maxwell Morley, is a chest physician who has devoted his life to his work. He diagnoses Lilian - who is heavily pregnant - with tuberculosis. She is put in an isolation ward; the baby removed at birth and later sent to a children's home. Morley, however, is uncertain of his diagnosis, and unsettled at the prospect of professional failure, he frequently visits the motherless infant (Lily), drawing the Matron of the children's home, Elizabeth Ford, into his quest to 'save' Lily. Elizabeth observes Morley's unusual behaviour, at first with interest, later with dismay, as he becomes increasingly obsessed with the wordless baby. Meanwhile, Lilian and her husband Joe challenge the medical authorities, suspecting that the diagnosis is inaccurate and that their baby has been removed unnecessarily. Joe decides not to wait for the authorities to respond and uses his own strength and skills as a boxer to tackle Morley directly. As a result of his injuries, Morley comes to believe that he has direct access to the non-verbal Lily tries to take the baby to his home, jeopardising his career further. Arrested, his reputation in ruins, Morley finally has to accept that infancy, like desire remains a closed mystery. -- Publisher: Cinnamon Press