Mother Island

by Bethan Roberts

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Pub Date Jul 03 2014 | Archive Date Jul 29 2014

Random House UK, Vintage Publishing | Vintage Digital

General Fiction (Adult)

Description

This is the story of two women, Nula and Maggie, joined by old family history and love for the same little boy.

Nula, struggling with her new baby and feeling alone in her marriage, employs her cousin Maggie as a nanny when she returns to work. But it's not long before Nula finds herself theatened by Maggie's close bond with her son, Samuel.

Nula's outwardly perfect house crackles with unspoken jealousies and rivalry until Maggie's intense love for Samuel tips into obsession and she decides her only option is to abduct the child. As Maggie makes her desperate bid for safety, the women's shared past of trauma and loss comes to the fore once more.

WINNER OF THE JERWOOD FICTION UNCOVERED PRIZE 2015.

This is the story of two women, Nula and Maggie, joined by old family history and love for the same little boy.

Nula, struggling with her new baby and feeling alone in her marriage, employs her cousin...

A Note From the Publisher

UK edition – available to readers worldwide, US pending.

Advance Praise

Praise for My Policeman:

Pitch perfect - Marie Claire

A gripping read - Viv Groskop, Red

A humane and evocative portrait of a time when lives were destroyed by intolerance - Guardian
The era and the seaside locale are beautifully rendered and observed, not least the social and sexual undercurrents of the time - Elizabeth Buchan, Sunday Times

Captures the obsessive and destructive madness of sexual jealousy - Psychologies

Roberts gives us two strong, absorbing voices, whose competing claims on our sympathies...make My Policeman a satisfyingly taut and involving read - Times Literary Supplement

A moving story of longing and frustration - Observer

Roberts deploys her research carefully, honing a novel with a strong period feel and a sprightly structure - Independent

A humane and evocative portrait of a time when lives were destroyed by intolerance - Susanna Rustin, Guardian

An amazing read - Latest 7

Roberts’ sharp, evocative prose renders this simple story complex, enthralling and compelling - Anne Hill, Sussex Life

This spiky portrait of love makes for a gripping read - Emma Hagestadt, Independent Radar

A heartbreaking examination of lives and love - Diva Magazine

A powerful story of sexual jealousy and longing, My Policeman is also a heartbreaking examination of lives and love that has gone to waste in an era in which homosexuality was a prosecutable offence - DIVA Magazine

Praise for My Policeman:

Pitch perfect - Marie Claire

A gripping read - Viv Groskop, Red

A humane and evocative portrait of a time when lives were destroyed by intolerance - Guardian
The era and the...

Marketing Plan

building on the success of My Policeman - Bethan's new novel is more overtly commercial: a tense psychological drama, that has exceptional insight into its characters and their fraught relationships, and also has the warmth and emotional engagement to make it utterly compelling

perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrel, Rose Tremain, Ian McEwan, S.J. Watson, Rachel Cusk

All of Bethan's previous novels have received glowing reviews - her reputation and fan base are growing and growing

building on the success of My Policeman - Bethan's new novel is more overtly commercial: a tense psychological drama, that has exceptional insight into its characters and their fraught...