Showing results by author "Gwendoline Riley" in All Categories

Edmund Putnam, days away from the end of his 50th year, finds that his solitary life is about to change. The magazine to which he has given his best decades faces closure, and Edmund will likely lose his job this coming Monday morning. But before this fateful prospect can arrive there are others...

Helen Grant is a mystery to her daughter. An extrovert with few friends who has sought intimacy in the wrong places; a twice-divorced mother-of-two now living alone surrounded by her memories, Helen (known to her acquaintances as 'Hen') has always haunted Bridget. Now, Bridget is an academic in her forties. She sees Helen once a year, and considers the problem to be contained. As she looks back on their tumultuous relationship - the performances and small deceptions - she tries to reckon with the cruelties inflicted on both sides. But when Helen makes it clear that she wants more, it seems an old struggle will have to be replayed.

From the Women’s Prize-shortlisted author of First Love 'The Palm House might be my favourite novel of 2026 so far . . . I wanted to go back to the beginning and start again' The Sunday Times 'I love this book' Sarah Perry 'Outstandingly brilliant' Claire-Louise Bennett Laura Miller and Edmund...