With three collections of poetry and four collections of short fiction behind him Peter Goldsworthy himself is a maestro, and is being recognized as one via the numerous literary awards bestowed on him, that include Commonwealth Poetry Prize and an Australian Bicentennial Literary Award.

This book has several literary twists and has an intricately woven plot tied with a strong storyline. The book is set in Darwin, presumably because of Peter's ties with the place - he spent part of his childhood there while finishing school. The likeness is further accentuated as "Paul", one of the key characters, arrives in Darwin as a young boy, brought there by family circumstances. The story sees young Paul's journey to maturity, through first love and the painful path to self-discovery and loss of his teacher and mentor - Keller - master pianist, the Maestro. Paul's discovery of love or was it...