'A gripping read...for fans of Apple Tree Yard' CosmopolitanRuth Furnival has built the life she always dreamed of: a stellar career in television, a lovely home, a lawyer husband and two grown-up daughters. But at 54, with an empty nest and the menopause behind her, she feels restless and dissatisfied.After multiple rounds of failed IVF, her elder daughter Lauren is told that the only way she and her husband can have a child of their own is through surrogacy. So when Ruth discovers that, with the right dose of hormones, she could carry their baby, they agree out of desperation.At first Ruth is buoyed by a new sense of purpose, but as her pregnancy progresses, long-buried events from the past resurface. Meanwhile Lauren can't contain her corrosive envy. Isolated and alone, Ruth starts to unravel and what began as an act of altruism turns into one of atonement - for which she's willing to risk everything. 'Fast-paced and addictively compelling ' RACHEL JOYCE'An absolute "up-all-night" compulsive read' KATE HAMERaudio available logo

Moving and exciting and moral - immensely intelligent - Tessa HadleyA fascinating, compulsive and quietly transgressive novel that casts a keen, exacting eye over the dynamics of a family in extremis - Jessica Moor, author of KeeperA darkly humorous, thoughtful and thought provoking novel, along with being an absolute "up all night" compulsive read. I loved it - Kate HamerA brilliantly structured, fast-paced and addictively compelling read. I loved the ending most of all - Rachel JoyceA piercingly honest view of the flesh and blood of women's lives and the imperfect tangles of family relationships. These real, believable and maddeningly blind characters make us feel for them more and more as the story gathers pace towards a brilliant heart-stopping conclusion - Maggie GeeUnsparingly probes to the messy heart of mother/ daughter relationships. Clever and compelling. I loved it - Jane ShemiltA visceral and intimate study of the mechanics of womanhood, both physically and emotionally, which will leave you asking questions about yourself and how far love stretches. I especially loved the ending - Araminta HallThere is nowhere near enough writing out there about how women truly experience the conflicting marvels and challenges of living inside a female body, even less about the menopause. Transgressive and gripping, this book reminds us that we disregard women over fifty at our peril - Gabriel Weston