Left and Leaving

Fifth novel from Richard and Judy Award winner Jo Verity, author of Sweets from Morocco a "e;pitch perfect evocation of childhood and sibling relationships"e; Marcel Theroux A bomb explodes in central London and the shockwaves disrupt the lives of everyone in the vicinity. Australian ex-pat Gil is on a grey gap-year working in the hospital to which Vivien brings Irene for treatment; together they try to bring calm where terror reigns. Irene is thrilled with her new friends, they less so with her ongoing interest in their lives. Gil has a girlfriend, who lives in the same building with her two children, and a family back home. Thirty-something Vivien has a high-flying boyfriend and a time-consuming job which may be about to transfer to Germany. But they keep finding reasons to spend time together in the run up to Christmas. Marooned in Tooting by a sudden snowstorm, Vivien and Gil are forced to spend the holiday confronting secrets and surprises and facing up to responsibilities they've been complacent about for too long. And still in the background is Irene, intent on filling the holes in her life...