“She had thought she was done with all that. But here it was again: desire, like a tap left running somewhere, impossible to ignore.” Part One Frances Wray, […]
English literature
Case Histories
“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” Chapter 1: The Cold Case of Olivia Land The novel opens with the disappearance of three-year-old Olivia […]
English literature
Life After Life
“What if we had a chance to do it again and again, until we finally got it right? Wouldn’t that be wonderful?” Part One: Early Lives The novel […]
English literature
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
“I exist!” – Ruby Lennox Chapter 1: Conception The novel opens with Ruby Lennox narrating her own conception in 1951, blending dark humor with a sharp observation of […]
English literature
The Legacy
“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” — William Faulkner (Epigraph in The Legacy) Chapter 1: The Arrival Erica Calcott returns to her childhood home, Storton […]
English literature
The Long Song
“You do not know me yet. My son Thomas, who is publishing this book, tells me, it is customary at this place in a narrative to give the […]
English literature
Small Island
“You know, Queenie, there are some words that once spoken can split the world in two.” Part One: Before The novel opens in 1948, introducing four main characters […]
English literature
Brick Lane
“The world was full of doors, and all of them led to the same place.” Part One: Arrival in London Nazneen, a young Bangladeshi woman, arrives in London […]
English literature
The Slap
“A man doesn’t have to be a saint to know right from wrong.” Chapter 1: The Barbecue At a suburban barbecue in Melbourne, a heated argument erupts when […]
English literature
Notes on a Scandal
“Sheba thought she was special. She thought she was different. She thought she could get away with it.” Part One The novel opens with Barbara Covett, a veteran […]