At forty and divorced a woman journeys from Australia to Europe on a voyage to freedom and discovery. Her escape is from the past - from the demanding social and sexual roles which have trapped her all her life. In distancing herself she is at last free to examine her childhood, adolescence and marriage, to see with a new clarity her inner compulsions and driving sexuality. This is the story of one woman's liberation, told with wit and an eccentricity of observation. It is her realization that in the Stygian passage through life she has paid more than her due, and the rest of the journey is free. COINS FOR THE FERRYMAN is a startling first novel from a talented writer.