London 1862. Sue Trinder, orphaned at birth, grows up among petty thieves - fingersmiths - under the rough but loving care of Mrs Sucksby and her `family`. But from the moment she draws breath, Sue`s fate is linked to that of another orphan growing up in a gloomy mansion not too many miles away. The book that inspired Park Chan-wook`s astonishing film The Handmaiden. Shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Booker Prize.