First Impressions

This week's competition, in which you have to identify a book from its opening sentence, is from a wartime novel about history, hysteria and hearts:
" It was a summer's night and they were talking, in the big room with the windows open to the garden, about the cesspool ."

The winner receives a £25 Blackwell's book voucher and the closing date is November 21

• Entries should be sent to:
  First Impressions
  The THES , Admiral House, 66-68 East Smithfield, London E1W 1BX,
  faxed to 020 7782 3300, or
  emailed here

The winner of last week's competition, who correctly identified Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities , is Christopher Carmichael from Newcastle upon Tyne.