When You're Gone

‘Oh my god… stunning… must be read by everyone… made me blub like a baby and I met my grocery delivery man with tears streaming down my face! Five stars.’ Cappuccino and Chocolate, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1958. Annie Fagan knows that her neighbours in the small town of Athenry talk about her family. And can she blame them? Her father’s slow surrender to drink to numb the pain of his back injury, matched by the new bruises appearing on her ma’s face, gives them plenty to gossip about. Annie struggles to bury her frustration and desperation. Then she meets Arthur ‘Sketch’ Talbot, who shows Annie how to find the stars in the darkness. But when Annie’s father discovers the young couple, will their love survive?

Now. Holly has never felt so lost and alone. Devastating news about her pregnancy has opened a rift between her and her fiancé. And the one person she would usually confide in, her beloved Nana, is fading before her eyes. When searching in the attic for forgotten sketches her Nana keeps mentioning, Holly finds a dusty pink memory box, and hidden inside is the handwritten love story about a man called Sketch Talbot. As Holly reads the story to Nana, her grandmother reveals her final wish. Can helping Nana give Holly the strength to face her uncertain future?

An absolutely unputdownable and gut-wrenching post-war novel. The perfect read for fans of Diane Chamberlain, Kathryn Hughes and Dani Atkins.