A Far-flung Life

THE INCREDIBLE, LONG-AWAITED NEW NOVEL FROM THE AWARD-WINNING, MULTI-MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS A sweeping historical family saga set against the rugged Australian outback, A FAR-FLUNG LIFE is an epic novel of love, loss and resilience, following a family shattered by tragedy and bound by the secrets they shield in order to live. ____________ 'Utterly glorious. I have so much love for these characters. A truly brilliant novel' FLORENCE KNAPP, author of The Names 'A big, bold story of resilience and hope. I was completely swept away' BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry 'A world, a story, a cast of characters I truly lost myself in' JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things ____________ Outback Western Australia, 1958. For generations, the MacBrides have lived on a remote sheep station, Meredith Downs. A million arid acres, it's an ocean of land, where the weather is a capricious god, and time still roams untamed. One ordinary day, on a lonely road, under the unending blue sky, patriarch Phil MacBride swerves to avoid a kangaroo. In seconds the lives of the entire MacBride family are shattered. Instead of leaving wounds to heal, Fate comes for them yet again, in a twist of consequences that will cause one of them to lose their life, and another to sacrifice theirs for the sake of an innocent child. Matt, the youngest MacBride, is plunged into a moral and emotional journey for which there is no map, no guide, as he is forced to choose between love and duty, sacrifice and happiness. A sweeping novel of family and belonging, of compassion and hope, A Far-flung Life is the epic novel about people trying to do their best, each seeking shelter from the storm of life - and a powerful testament to the enduring strength of love. ________ 'Heart-wrenching and beautifully set. A gorgeous feast of a novel about family, community, love and the lengths we will go to save them all' RACHEL JOYCE, author of The Homemade God 'Truly a masterpiece. The kind of book you will remember for the rest of your life, and I love the very bones of it' JOANNA CANNON, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep 'Epic, intimate and aching. I loved it' MIRANDA COWLEY HELLER, author of The Paper Palace 'Mesmerising and unforgettable, this sweeping novel aches with life's impossible choices, thrums with love and pain, and imprints itself on your heart. I loved it.' JOANNA GLEN, author of ALL MY MOTHERS 'One of those rare books that fill the soul' DONAL RYAN, author of Heart be at Peace and The Spinning Heart

M L Stedman was born and raised in Western Australia and now lives in London. Her first novel, The Light Between Oceans, was a Sunday Times, New York Times and international bestseller and won the Goodreads Choice Best Historical Novel Award and the HWA Goldsboro Crown Debut. It was also longlisted for the Women's Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, nominated for the International IMPAC Dublin literary award and shortlisted as an Amazon Rising Star. In Australia, it won the Indie Best Debut and the Indie Best Book awards and was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and the Literary Society Gold Medal. The Light Between Oceans has been published in around forty-five languages and has sold nearly five million copies worldwide. It was made into a Dreamworks film starring Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, produced by Heyday Films. A Far-flung Life is M L Stedman's second novel, to be published worldwide.