A dream house that is hiding something sinister; two women having lunch who share a husband; an old woman doing her weekly shopping with a secret past that no one could guess; a couple who don't know each other at all even after fifteen years together; and, in the story from which this collection takes its name, a bird and a servant girl in ancient Pompeii who cannot converse, but share a perfect understanding. A new collection of short stories from the Man Booker Prize-winning author.