by Chris Cleave
First published 2009
Two women's paths cross on a day that changes everything. One faces an impossible decision that will haunt both their futures. When they encounter each other again two years later, the weight of that moment still hangs between them. The story begins with this second meeting, then reveals how their lives became so deeply entangled. One woman carries the consequences of what happened that day. The other bears witness to a choice no one should have to make. As their stories unfold, the full impact of their connection becomes clear. This is about how a single moment can bind two strangers together across time and circumstance. The power lies not in what happens, but in how these women navigate the aftermath of trauma and find their way toward understanding.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Period: 21st-century
378 pages · Paperback · Sceptre