**WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025**NIOll be thinking about it for everO Barbara KingsolverNA gorgeously written storyAa must-readO Jennie Godfrey'Both readable and intelligent...it offers hope and consolation... This novel will be read and thought about for years to come' Nick HornbyNI was caught up from the first page and completely taken aback by this story. I loved itO Clare ChambersA mother following her heart. A father with the law on his side. A child caught in the middle.1982 Dawn is a young wife and mother hemmed in by village life. Then Hazel appears like a torch in the dark. Their attraction is instant and suddenly DawnOs world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected.2022 Maggie has always lived with an absence where her mother should be. Her father never speaks of her and it feels impossible to ask. Then an official letter arrives with news from the past, and Maggie must face a truth far bigger than just her familyOs secret.'I was completely blown away by Claire LynchOs exquisite writing, her acute observations, and deep, undramatic understanding of the inner life of peopleA ItOs one of those books that takes up residence inside of you and welds itself onto your soul' Nigella LawsonNPowerful and beautifully writtenA Lynch is a huge new talent in fiction' Good Housekeeping, Book of the Month'Explores love and loss, intimacy and justice, custody and careAitOs brilliant, I couldnOt put it down' Anita Rani, Woman's Hour'A beautiful and tender exploration of parental love, prejudice and the things we carry' Rachel JoyceNA brilliant bookA Full of heart, sympathy and sadnessO Sara PascoeNA triumph! Like the great Maggie OOFarrell, Claire Lynch deals brilliantly with both big themes and small momentsO Elin HilderbrandNSmart and heartbreakingO Guardian***READERS ARE IN LOVE WITH A FAMILY MATTER***NI would rate this 10 stars if I couldONUtterly brilliant, I was captivated from page oneONThis book had my whole heart and moreONA beautiful, heartbreaking, important bookONI canOt get the story out of my headONIt totally broke my heartONIOll be thinking of these characters for a long time to comeO