{"title":"Summer picks - hot fiction","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"9781837265923","title":"Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy","description":"THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICKA TIME MUST-READ OF 2025LONGLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL'Breathtaking' HANNAH KENT'Spellbinding' Washington Post'Had me gripped from the very first page' RACHEL JOYCEA family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A storm gathering force.    Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny weather-lashed island that is home to the world's largest seed bank. As Shearwater risks being lost to rising sea levels, the island's researchers have fled, and only the Salts remain.   Until, during the worst storm in living memory, a stranger washes ashore. The family nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, but it seems she isn't telling the whole truth about why she's there. And when Rowan stumbles upon sabotaged radios and a recently dug grave, she realises that she's not the only one on the island with a secret.   A novel of breathtaking twists and dizzying beauty, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55896479662453,"sku":"9781837265923","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781837265923.jpg?v=1756979365"},{"product_id":"9780008589066","title":"The Persians by Sanam Mahloudji","description":"SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025                                SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE 2025                                `Enormously entertaining'            THE TIMES                                `Unputdownable'             HARPER'S BAZAAR                    `Funny, sharp and insightful . a triumph' LAUREN LAVERNE          `Magnificent' BERNARDINE EVARISTO                      Five women. Three generations. A whole lot of family history.                     The Valiat family are in crisis. Elizabeth, the regal matriarch, remained in Tehran despite the revolution with only the Islamic law-breaking Niaz for company. Meanwhile, in America, Shirin, Seema and Bita are wondering if their gleaming lives in `the land of plenty' are all they had hoped for.             When an annual vacation goes wildly awry and Shirin is arrested, long-held Valiat family secrets begin to surface. As their lives are turned upside down, could revealing the truth save their family or might it break them apart, once and for all?          `Funny, gutsy and confidently written . an outstanding debut' DIANA EVANS, 2025 Women's Prize Judge          `Mesmerising' MONICA ALI, author of Love Marriage          `A joy of a debut' DAVID MITCHELL, author of Utopia Avenue          `Darkly funny, richly satisfying' SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life                      `As funny as it is moving'            GUARDIAN                                `Riotous . will have you hooked'            STYLIST                                `As exuberant as it is sharp'             iNEWS                                `A sweeping and irreverent tale'            BBC                    `Gloriously engrossing' TASH AW, author of The South          `Exuberant, comic, perceptive' AMINA CAIN, author of Indelicacy          `A very brilliant, very special book' JESSICA STANLEY, author of Consider Yourself Kissed          `An unforgettable read' JOSIE FERGUSON, author of The Silence In Between\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367683993973,"sku":"9780008589066","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780008589066.jpg?v=1763547710"},{"product_id":"9780241668542","title":"I Want To Go Home But I'm Already There by Roisin Lanigan","description":"Renting is a nightmare...   Aine should be feeling happy with her life. She's just moved in with Elliot. Their new flat is in an affluent neighbourhood, surrounded by bakeries, yoga studios and organic vegetable shops. They even have a garden. And yet, from the moment they move in, Aine can't shake the sense that there's something not quite right about the place...   It's not just the humourless estate agent and nameless landlord: it's the chill that seeps through the draughty windows; the damp spreading from the cellar door; the way the organic fruit and veg never lasts as long as it should. And most of all, it's the upstairs neighbours, whose very presence makes peaceful coexistence very difficult indeed.   The longer Aine spends inside the flat - pretending to work from home; dissecting messages from the friends whose lives seem to have moved on without her - the less it feels like home. And as Aine fixates on the cracks in the ceiling, it becomes harder to ignore the cracks in her relationship with Elliott...   Brilliantly observed and darkly funny, I Want to Go Home But I'm Already There is a ghost story set in the rental crisis. A wonderfully clear-eyed portrait of loneliness, loss and belonging, it examines what it means to feel at home.   'Absorbing and eerie ... Full of wry observations about the status markers of modern life ... A hugely enjoyable portrait of the horrors of renting' Sunday Times'A brilliant satire of London's horrific housing market ... It got under my skin in a way that made me shiver' Guardian'A document of hellish times and a map of our relationships with others, ourselves, and our demons - metaphorical and literal' New Statesman'One of the best things I've read on the psychological horrors of private renting, and what damp, overpriced flats can do to our emotional lives. Hilarious, horrifying, truly original. I loved it' Ois?n McKenna, author of Evenings and Weekends'R?is?n Lanigan has been threatening to be the next great Irish writer for ages, so I'm glad she's finally sat down and done it' Joel Golby\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367865266549,"sku":"9780241668542","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780241668542.jpg?v=1763548143"},{"product_id":"9780349020549","title":"Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison","description":"\u003cp\u003eA REDISCOVERED FANTASY CLASSIC - INTRODUCED BY SAMANTHA SHANNON'No one knows better how to spin a fairy tale than Naomi Mitchison' OBSERVER'I felt, very powerfully, that I had been waiting for Travel Light' AMAL EL-MOHTAR, author of THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR'Disarmingly familiar, like a memory only half-recalled. You will love this book' HOLLY BLACK, author of BOOK OF NIGHT'Perhaps her nurse turned into a bear and carried her away into the forest. Perhaps she was brought up by bears and dragons. Perhaps it was better for her in the end than being a king's child.''That was never the story,' said Modolf. 'Forget the story,' said Halla. Halla is the daughter of a king, cast out as a baby into a world of danger and enchantment. She is raised by bears, lives amongst dragons, converses with Valkyries and avoids warmongering heroes. But an encounter with Odin All-Father finds her at a crossroads: is her story already written, or will she travel light? Weaving folklore, fairy tale and Norse myth into a shimmering, witty and slyly subversive tapestry, Travel Light is a rediscovered gem of classic fantasy writing - perfect for fans of Tolkien, Philip Pullman and Ursula K. Le Guin. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56367975661941,"sku":"9780349020549","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780349020549.jpg?v=1763548370"},{"product_id":"9780349147277","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 07\/05\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eJoan Liang's life is a series of surprising developments: she never thought she would leave Taiwan (and for all places, California), nor did she expect her first marriage to implode - especially as quickly and spectacularly as it did. She definitely did not expect to fall in love with an older, wealthy American and become his fourth wife and mother to his youngest children. 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StylistChuck and Joey meet in a bar. He's in his mid-thirties; she's twelve years younger. He's long abandoned his ambition of becoming a novelist and now works as a copywriter at a big ad agency. 'Lead copywriter,' he corrects himself. Joey lives paycheck to paycheck on her barista wages and privately dreams of making it as a poet. They go back to Chuck's luxury flat-a world away from Joey's cramped house-share, the crumbs in her bed. Soon, Joey's imagining a future between them, and Chuck's moving on from a mistake in his recent past. Amazing, how meeting a new person can make you feel so new.   Funny, excruciating, and true, I Want You to Be Happy is a sharp-eyed tale of two people searching for meaning and connection in modern times, missing the mark maybe, but still trying. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368067477877,"sku":"9780571387458","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780571387458.jpg?v=1763548576"},{"product_id":"9781035046706","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW The Cut Throat Trial by The Secret Barrister","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 04\/06\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFull of twists you won't see coming, The Cut Throat Trial is an edge-of-your-seat courtroom drama from the No. 1 bestselling Secret Barrister. And you have a front row seat.   `An astute, empathetic, and satisfyingly twisty read' - Sarah Vaughan, author of Anatomy of a Scandal`A diamond class legal thriller . . . I loved every moment' - Janice Hallett, author of The Twyford CodeIt is one of the biggest trials of the year. Three seventeen-year-old boys are accused of the brutal murder of an elderly teacher on New Year's Eve. Each boy denies it. Each points the finger at the other two. But they can't all be innocent.   The three defence barristers have only one job: to persuade the jury that their client is not guilty. But they're up against a prosecutor who needs to win the case, no matter the cost.   Written by a criminal barrister with an expert insider's knowledge, The Cut Throat Trial is an unputdownable legal thriller. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368468033909,"sku":"9781035046706","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781035046706.jpg?v=1774539348"},{"product_id":"9781399618991","title":"The Grapevine by Kate Kemp","description":"I absolutely couldn't stop reading . . . It took me hostage'Marian Keyes'Lively, original . . . packed with tension'Janice Hallett'A revealing close-up of a claustrophobic community. I loved it'Jennie Godfrey'Deeply impressive . . . The final twist is devastating'Sunday TimesAustralia, 1979.   It's the height of summer and on a quiet suburban cul-de-sac a housewife is scrubbing the yellow and white chequered tiles of her bathroom floor. But all is not as it seems. For one thing, it's 3 a.m. For another, she is trying desperately to remove all traces of blood before they stain. Her husband seems remarkably calm, considering their neighbour has just been murdered.   As the sun rises on Warrah Place, news of Antonio Marietti's death spreads like wildfire, gossip is exchanged in whispers and suspicion mounts. Twelve-year-old Tammy launches her own investigation, determined to find out what happened, but she is not the only one whose well-meaning efforts uncover more mysteries than they solve. There are secrets behind every closed door in the neighbourhood - and the identity of the murderer is only one of them . . .   Richly atmospheric and simmering with tension, The Grapevine is an acutely observed debut novel about prejudice and suspicion, the hidden lives of women, and how the ties that bind a community can also threaten to break it.   What readers are saying about The Grapevine:  'A brilliant debut novel' ?????'A gripping suburban drama steeped in mystery and neighbourhood intrigue' ?????  'A compelling blend of psychological suspense and domestic drama' ?????'An absolutely brilliant read which I couldn't consume quick enough. And that plot twist at the end!' ?????'Kept me up all night' ?????\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368804331893,"sku":"9781399618991","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399618991.jpg?v=1763550929"},{"product_id":"9781399623940","title":"Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis","description":"SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONA TIMES, OBSERVER, INDEPENDENT, AND i PAPER BEST BOOK OF 2025'BRILLIANT' THE TIMES'A WILDLY WITTY DEBUT' FINANCIAL TIMES'ELECTRIC' GUARDIAN A wildly funny and razor-sharp exploration of love, family, religion and the decisions we make in pursuit of belonging. 'By normal, you mean like you? A slag with a saviour complex?'Nadia is an academic who's been disowned by her puritanical mother and dumped by her lover, Rosy. She decides to make a getaway, accepting a UN job in Iraq. Tasked with rehabilitating ISIS women, Nadia becomes mired in the opaque world of international aid, surrounded by bumbling colleagues.   Sara is a precocious and sweary East Londoner who joined ISIS at just fifteen.   Nadia is struck by how similar they are: both feisty and opinionated, from a Muslim background, with a shared love of Dairy Milk and rude pick-up lines. A powerful friendship forms between the two women, until a secret confession from Sara threatens everything Nadia has been working for.   'Funny, gripping and compassionate' DOLLY ALDERTON'Funny, dirty and scathing truthful' HANIF KUREISHI'Stunned me, moved me, made me laugh out loud' PANDORA SYKES'Essential reading' JONATHAN COE'A breath of fresh air' MARIAN KEYES'Original, funny and fearless' NINA STIBBEWINNER OF THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT BEST PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDWINNER OF THE COMEDY WOMEN IN PRINT PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD  SHORTLISTED FOR THE WILBUR SMITH ADVENTURE WRITING PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZESHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKS ARE MY BAG READERS' AWARDSHORTLISTED FOR THE SKY ARTS BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368804397429,"sku":"9781399623940","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399623940.jpg?v=1763550930"},{"product_id":"9781405951456","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW The Favourite by Fran Littlewood","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 18\/06\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe unmissable novel from Fran Littlewood, the New York Times bestselling author of Read With Jenna pick Amazing Grace Adams - available to pre-order in paperback!-AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 4 WOMAN'S HOUR A STYLIST MUST-READ BOOK OF 2025A SUNDAY TIMES `STUFF EVERYONE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT' PICKAN OPRAH BEST SUMMER BOOKS TO READA PEOPLE MAGAZINE MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER BOOK-'FABULOUS . . . God, I wish I had written it. Funny, dark, fascinating and UTTERLY convincing. On my QWJ (Queasy With Jealousy) Scale, I award it 16\/10' MARIAN KEYES'Once I picked up The Favourite, I did not want to put it down until the last page was turned' LOTTIE HAZELL, author of Piglet`Wonderful and very funny. You're in for such a treat' GEORGINA MOORE, author of The Garnett Girls'Excellent. A detailed and fascinating look at the effects of sibling order in families and what it feels like to think your parent has a favourite child' STYLIST'Tender, funny and truthful , Littlewood's tale reveals long-held secrets, chronicles treacherous inner thoughts, and revels in the sweet , spiky nature of sisterhood' MAIL ON SUNDAY'A powerful and emotional tale, rich in nuance, exploring loyalty, truth and the fragile nature of love' WOMAN'S WEEKLY-The Fisher family are on holiday . . .   Mum, Dad. And their three grown-up daughters- Alex, Nancy and Eva - plus their young families.   Sisters with differences, yes -but these are quickly glossed over.   This is not a family of secrets, lies or even half-truths.   Or so they tell themselves.   Right up until Dad accidentally drops a bombshell:he has a favourite . . .   And suddenly everything unravels.   All the secrets. All the lies. The not even half-truths.   But might it take coming apart to bring this family back together?PRAISE FOR THE FAVOURITE`You'll be captivated by the well-drawn characters' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'So sharp, funny, pacey and incredibly well-observed. I loved it' REBECCA WAIT, author of I'm Sorry You Feel That Way'Fabulous - funny and brilliantly claustrophobic on family dynamics' LAUREN BRAVO, author of Preloved'Fran Littlewood has the incredible ability to write like she's been observing you and your family for years' ORE AGBAJE-WILLIAMS, author of The Three of Us'Sizzles with familial tension . . . Heartbreaking, candid and witty' JUSTIN MYERS'Brilliantly funny, dark, insightful, wildly satisfying' NATASHA POLISZCZUK'Has a cinematic quality . . . Every moment feels alive. Full of tender moments and thoughtful insights, The Favourite will be a favourite of readers, perfect with those with imperfect families - which is to say, all of us' SHELF AWARENESS `What makes this sibling dramedy so delectable is Littlewood's writing . . . All the nuances of sisterhood, daughterhood, wifehood, motherhood, divorcehood, and more are illuminated by this tale of spilled wine, slapped faces, and enduring family love.' OPRAH DAILY \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368819962229,"sku":"9781405951456","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781405951456.jpg?v=1763550992"},{"product_id":"9781405966733","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW Albion by Anna Hope","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 14\/05\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTHE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF EXPECTATION'Hope breathes fresh thinking into the dusty corners and overgrown hedges of the English country house dilemma' The Times'Superb . Anna Hope engages, head-on, with some of the most urgent and challenging issues facing the world today, and transforms them into spellbinding family drama' Jonathan Coe`Beautiful . . . As provocative as it is tender' Miranda Cowley Heller, author of The Paper PalaceThe Brooke family are gathering in their eighteenth-century ancestral home - at the heart of a thousand acres of English countryside - to bury Philip: husband, father and the blinding sun around which they have all orbited for as long as they can remember.   They must grapple with their shared grief as well as their shared inheritance. Each of his children is adamant that their father has given them his blessing, and none are willing to back down, as dreams of rewilding the English countryside clash with a vision of a psychedelic haven for the super-rich.   But as they debate the future of the land, a stranger arrives bearing a truth that will fracture all the dreams on which they've built their lives.    `The English country house novel reimagined for our times ... Exceptionally well-drawn' Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground`A book that asks important questions about legacy - familial, historical and global - and which seeks to answer them with delicate insight and beautiful prose' Elizabeth Day`Hauntingly beautiful . . . This is a novel I will return to again and again' Louisa Adjoa Parker`Albion balances the reality of who the English were against the hope of who we might become' Richard Beard, author of The Day That Went Missing \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56368820781429,"sku":"9781405966733","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781405966733.jpg?v=1763550999"},{"product_id":"9781405967594","title":"PRE-ORDER NOW Firstborn of the Sun by Marvellous Michael Anson","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e PRE-ORDER NOW - Published: 04\/06\/2026 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePRE-ORDER THE HEART-POUNDING YORUBA INSPIRED FANTASY NOVEL SET IN AN EPIC WORLD OF COURTLY INTRIGUE AND FORBIDDEN POWER . . .   'Rich worldbuilding inspired by Yoruba mythology and a strong cast of characters. This debut fantasy shines as bright as the sun' L. R. LAM`Absolutely Radiant' BEA FITZGERALD'Wildly Imaginative' HANNAH KANER`A Dazzling Debut' ANDREA STEWART`Enthralling and epic' ANNA DAY'Gorgeously, powerfully written' INDIA HOLTON`Readers are going to LOVE THIS BOOK!' ANGELA MONTOYAIn the Kingdom of Oru, power lies in agb?ra: the ability to harness the sun . . .   Only young L'ore has no agb?ra. A fact she must conceal from everyone - including best friend Alawani - on pain of death.   When the gods declare Alawani a High Priest - the Gods' servant - he faces a terrible trial likely to kill him. Unwilling to lose her friend, L'ore vows to save him. But as she does, a forbidden shadow magic pours from her hands.   Pursued, L'ore and Alawani seek sanctuary in a forbidden land beyond Oru. Here lies the home of L'ore's secret shadow magic.   But great powers are gathering. And L'ore and Alawani cannot help be at the centre of this conflict. A war that would split them apart and bring down their world . . .   _____________Early Readers are fanning the flames of Firstborn of the Sun!'I was completely hooked. The tale delves deeply into African mythology, with storytelling that feels timeless' ***** 5 star reader review'This book is a breath of fresh, fiery air . . . the plot? Absolutely jaw-dropping. I'm talking \"mouth open, phone slipping from my hands\" levels of shock' ***** 5 star reader review'Wowowow this book was incredible . . . a completely new vibe of its own - a richly layered magic system, stunning worldbuilding, and characters so compellingly complex you'll root for all of them at some point (even when they're at odds)' ***** 5 star reader review'Both magical and meaningful ... a stunning tribute to Yoruba heritage, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves culturally rich fantasy' ***** 5 star reader review`Absolutely radiant. Anson has created a captivating, intricate world with characters who will stay with me for a long time. A perfect balance of political machinations and aching romance, wrapped up in a fast-paced action packed adventure. I loved it!' BEA FITZGERALD, author of Girl Goddess Queen'A searing tale of ambition, love and survival . . . This is a wildly imaginative debut which begins an epic story' HANNAH KANER, author of Godkiller'A dazzling debut, with characters that leap off the page and burrow into your heart. Filled with love, betrayal, and questions of loyalty, the twists and turns this story takes will keep you reading late into the night' ANDREA STEWART, author of The Gods Below`Fierce, exciting and utterly original, Firstborn of the Sun is an enthralling and epic fantasy, with a beautiful and tender romance at its center' ANNA DAY, author of The Girl who Grew Wings'Epic and gorgeous, Firstborn of the Sun, enraptures readers in the rich, complex Kingdom of Oru with intricate magic, fascinating politics, swoony romance, and gasp-worthy twists. A radiant debut, not to miss!' DHONIELLE CLAYTON, author of The Conjurverse series'Gorgeously, powerfully written, with wonderful characters and intricate, luxuriant worldbuilding - altogether really quite exceptional. I foresee it becoming a beloved classic amongst fantasy readers.' INDIA HOLTON, author of the Dangerous Damsels series`A rich and confident fantasy with expansive world building and a magic system as vicious as it is unique. Filled with intricately woven twists and action from beginning to end, readers will have a hard time putting this book down. 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I was delighted and moved'NEW YORK TIMES  'I can't praise it enough. It's an absolute triumph'CLARE CHAMBERS'Tremendous'FREDRIK BACKMAN'Shows us what a glorious thing growing older can be'FLORENCE KNAPP'The year's breakout novel no one saw coming'WALL STREET JOURNAL-Every morning, Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write letters - to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to attend a class she desperately wants to take, to her favourite authors to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.   Because at seventy-three, Sybil has used her correspondence - witty and wise - to make sense of the world. But beyond the page, she has spent the last thirty years keeping the people who love her at arms' length... Until letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life.   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