Leonora has relocated to Melbourne from London and falls in love with Margaret, a fellow teacher who three years later dies of cancer. While still grieving for Margaret, Leonora meets and befriends Anna, the Polish woman who lives next door. Crimson Light Polished Wood illuminates with subtle ease the influence Leonora has on Anna’s daughter, Lydia, introducing her to the world of literature and art. This is a novel about the ways we all long for acceptance and how those we might feel most in touch with – including parents, siblings and mentors – can often have different values and views about us. As such it is a beautiful work about art, gender, inheritance, understanding and celebration.