Named a Top 100 Must-Read Book of the Year by Time and a Best Book of the Year by The New Yorker. Winner of the 2024 Writers' Prize for Nonfiction. Shortlisted for the Inaugural Women's Prize for Nonfiction. Longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize

In 1654, the Thunderclap an enormous explosion at a gunpowder store devasted the city of Delft, killing hundreds of people, including the extraordinary painter Carel Fabritius, and injuring thousands more.

Framing the story around the life of Fabritius, Cumming illuminates this extraordinary moment in art history while also writing about her own father, a painter.

Like Dutch art, the story gradually links country, city, town, street, house, interior all the way to the bird on its perch, the blue and white tile, the smallest seed in a loaf of bread. The impact of a painting and how it can enter our thoughts, influence our view and understanding of the world is the heart of this book. Cumming has brought her unique eye to her most compelling subject yet.