“While saying what constitutes a literary novel is hard enough, identifying what makes one a big popular hit is even harder. Novelists and publishers fantasise about international success to match Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong, or Louis De Bernieres’ Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. That trio seem to back up Martyn Goff’s belief a literary best-seller needs to transport the reader to a remote time or place.”