Originally published in 1968, The Grain of Truth is a dark, psychologically slippery domestic novel.

When Emma’s father-in-law falls to his death, she becomes convinced that she pushed him — if not literally, then somehow through the force of having wished him gone. Her husband Henry and best friend Holly dismiss the idea, but neither is exactly a neutral witness. 

Bawden rotates the narration between Emma, Henry and Holly, allowing the same relationships to look radically different depending on who is telling them. It's pretty compelling to see how the idea of a man being pushed become an examination of private self-deception, just so they can live with themselves. The effect is claustrophobic and very sharp; truth exists, but mostly in fragments dispersed between competing accounts. 

Virago Press, London, 1993. Virago Modern Classics edition; first published in Britain by Longman in 1968. Paperback. Light edge and corner wear, with mild rubbing and creasing to covers. Internally clean; binding firm. Very good condition.