A stirring novel of the past and present lives of women from three generations—and how far they will go to protect those they love.
At sixteen, Abi is convinced she knows everything about her family. Her mum, Rose, is strict because she mistakenly believes she can turn Abi into the perfect daughter. Abi’s nan, Gertie, couldn’t care less about her granddaughter’s messy hair and love of art rather than arithmetic and is always there with a positive word, a glass of homemade lemonade and a hug.
When Abi’s family is forced to relocate from London to Nan’s cottage perched high on a cliff in Dorset, Abi becomes an isolated misfit. She finds escape from the school bullies in a new and thrilling friendship with a local girl. But with three generations under one roof, long-kept secrets made in love begin to unravel: Gertie’s past in WWII Blitz-torn London and the fallout of her friendship with a young Canadian serviceman; Rose’s final holiday with her parents in Dorset in 1963 and an all-consuming romance just weeks before she heads off to university in Edinburgh.
Devastating revelations shake Abi to the core. Everything she believes about her life and family is turned on its head. She is forced to make the hardest decisions to save everyone she loves but not without sacrifice and making painful secrets of her own.
“A very heartwarming and tender read which kept me cosy from start to finish.” —The Writing Garnet
