Punters who were persuaded to buy Damage, Josephine Hart’s first, best-selling novel, because its striking black-and-white cover made it look like a box of chocolates were unlikely to have been disappointed. It was impossible not to devour the book in a single evening and, after you had finished it, you were left with a strong desire to put your finger down your throat: reading about all those ordinary people doing unspeakable things to each other while in the grip of uncontrollable obsession left you feeling both nauseated and guilty.

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