The Hand That First Held Mine

A gorgeously written story of love and motherhood, this is a tour de force from one of our best loved novelists. When the sophisticated Innes Kent turns up on her doorstep, Lexie Sinclair realises she cannot wait any longer for her life to begin, and leaves for London. There, at the heart of the 1950s Soho art scene, she carves out a new life. In the present day, Elina and Ted are reeling from the difficult birth of their first child.

Maggie O'Farrell

'O'Farrell has a remarkable ability to convey the texture of human emotion with precision' -- Observer 'Like Daphne du Maurier...O'Farrell writes books designed to...bring our most primal fears to the surface' -- Daily Mail 'O'Farrell is a skilful, impassioned writer...engaging and fluent' -- Sunday Telegraph 'Genuinely unputdownable...evidence of her place as one of Britain's most engaging contemporary novelists' -- Literary Review