Category: childhood
+ brothers, childhood, faeries, fairies, folklore, friendship, Historical fiction, Ireland, jewish history, jews, literature, love, Magical realism, mythology, religion, review, sisters, superstition, tradition
Tunnel Of Mirrors by Ferne Arfin
June 1907. Rachel Isaacson, a spirit child, is born into a large and rigidly orthodox Jewish family in the Lower East Side. Hungry for freedom, dominated by a tyrannical father and haunted by inexplicable visions and voices, Rachel’s quest for independence leads her into a marriage of convenience with tragic consequences. Across the Atlantic, Ciaran McMurrough, storyteller, fiddler and cliff climber, leads a life … Read More Tunnel Of Mirrors by Ferne Arfin
+ child abduction, childhood, community, family, fiction, kidnapping, motherhood, revenge, review, secrets, seventies, twins
Entitled by Gill Merton
In 1971, Nan Douglas and her toddler twins arrive on the remote island of Inniscuiilin, long-lost family of the eccentric Miss Campbell. For fifteen years they all live quietly up at the Big House, until the twins start planning their future – forcing Nan to confront their past… Because someone, somewhere believes that the twins aren’t twins. That they’re not even Nan’s children. And … Read More Entitled by Gill Merton
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, childhood, family, fiction, podcast, radio play, review, Theatrephonic
Every Parent’s Dream by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
Every parent’s dream – the perfect teenager… ‘I ain’t saying it was perfect here in Happy Valley. Then they came across the water. They were a bit different….a bit ‘creepy.’ Where did Frank and Audrey go wrong? They read all the books. How to be perfect parents. Raise the perfect son. Now Audrey is terrified when Sammy comes through the door. He drinks and … Read More Every Parent’s Dream by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
+ abuse, child abuse, childhood, family, fiction, horror, loss, motherhood, mystery, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, thriller
Sundial by Catriona Ward
You can’t escape what’s in your blood… All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind. … Read More Sundial by Catriona Ward
+ childhood, feel-good, fiction, folklore, friendship, illegitimacy, India, literature, loss, love, relationships, review, superstition, tradition
Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken by Monica Bhide
Raised by Buddhist monks in Delhi after his mother’s untimely and tragic death, Eshaan sets out on the challenging quest to feed and nourish the hungry so they do not suffer her same fate. His attempts to achieve this monumental goal are constantly thwarted. And when his former girlfriend returns from Europe with a handsome fiancé in tow, his life becomes even more complicated. … Read More Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken by Monica Bhide
+ audio drama, Cat on a Piano, childhood, family, fiction, podcast, radio play, review, sisters, Theatrephonic
Tiny Tears by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
Tiny Tears – it’s not just about a doll. Barbara is on life support. Her sister is talking to her even though presumably she can’t hear her. ‘I’ve always been trim,’ she says, not like you, Barbara, and our sister Sheila was always too thin. She tells her about finding Tiny Tears. Alice was the youngest – too young to appreciate a doll that … Read More Tiny Tears by Cat on a Piano Productions / Theatrephonic
+ abuse, bullying, childhood, dark humour, domestic noir, family, fiction, love, marriage, mental health, motherhood, obsession, rape, relationships, review, secrets, sisters, supernatural
Nasty Little Cuts by Tina Baker
WHEN YOUR MARRIAGE IS THIS BROKEN, YOU MAY NOT MAKE IT OUT ALIVE. A nightmare jolts Debs awake. She leaves the kids tucked up in their beds and goes downstairs. There’s a man in her kitchen, holding a knife. But it’s not an intruder. This is her husband Marc, the father of her children. A man she no longer recognises. Once their differences were … Read More Nasty Little Cuts by Tina Baker
+ childhood, crime fiction, diary, family, fiction, forgiveness, mental health, mental illness, murder, review, Scottish literature, secrets, thriller
Whispers by Billy McLaughlin
Ten years have passed since Isla Frost left the family manor. The past; a hidden memory comes to her in jolts. She blames one man for all that has happened. Her father, a cold brittle man who is now facing his mortality. Isla has returned to care for him. However, things are about to take a dark sinister turn. A body has been found. … Read More Whispers by Billy McLaughlin
+ childhood, community, family, fiction, friendship, Historical fiction, jewish history, jews, literature, love, marriage, memoir, motherhood, religion, review, tradition
Hands of Gold by Roni Robbins
Will Sam purge his guilty conscience before it’s too late? Will he atone for his offences and find solace in the final countdown? Sam Fox spent his whole life running against the hands of time. He is now racing to set the record straight about secrets he and Hannah, his wife of 65 years, have been harbouring from their children and each other. #HandsofGold … Read More Hands of Gold by Roni Robbins
+ childhood, coming-of-age, family, female friendship, fiction, friendship, literature, love, review, secrets, seventies, University
Sugar and Snails by Anne Goodwin
At fifteen, she made a life-changing decision. Thirty years on, it’s time to make another. When Diana escaped her misfit childhood, she thought she’d chosen the easier path. But the past lingers on, etched beneath her skin, and life won’t be worth living if her secret gets out. #SugarandSnails @Annecdotist @InspiredQuill As an adult, she’s kept other people at a distance… until Simon sweeps in … Read More Sugar and Snails by Anne Goodwin
+ childhood, crime fiction, demon, fiction, friendship, horror, loss, murder, podcast, review, thriller
Demon by Matt Wesolowski
In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world. Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the ‘Demonic Duo’ who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given … Read More Demon by Matt Wesolowski
The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
Forty years ago, Steven Smith found a copy of a famous children’s book, its margins full of strange markings and annotations. He took it to his remedial English teacher, Miss Isles, who became convinced it was the key to solving a puzzle. That a message in secret code ran through all Edith Twyford’s novels. Then Miss Isles disappeared on a class field trip, and … Read More The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett
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