Acclaimed actress Penelope Wilton reads AS Byatt's sensuous and ultimately uplifting account of one woman's transformation into stone.

Ines is a middle-aged etymologist. When her mother dies, grief overtakes her. Then, after a minor surgery, she discovers her navel has turned to flint.

The first of three parts of a modern day gothic fable that muses on grief.

Producer: Claudine Toutoungi

Made for BBC 7 and first broadcast in December 2004. Show less