Birding

Trade Paperback

Hardback

Paperback

'A beautiful book full of stark truths . . . Lyrical and evocative, highly recommended' Evie King, author of ASHES TO ADMIN

'I have GULPED this novel down . . . Birding gave me everything I want in a novel, including a massive, cathartic cry at the end. Achingly poignant, yet ultimately hopeful, with a worn out seaside town I can see so clearly' Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

'I've had my socks absolutely knocked off (again) by Rose Ruane's latest novel Birding. It made me rage, reflect, howl with laughing, worry and blub. Gentle, strong, important and hopeful. I am in awe and couldn't recommend it more highly' Jessica Fostekew, writer, actor and co-host of The Guilty Feminist

In the nineties, Lydia was one half of a teen pop sensation with her best friend Pandora. Posing for mags as innocent yet sexy, girly yet 'in control' - but with no clue how to handle herself - Lydia simply let things happen to her. Now, thirty years later, with #MeToo revelations a daily reality, a famous ex-lover resurfaces with a slick, self-serving apology, demanding forgiveness. Suddenly, Lydia is overwhelmed with memories of a harmful time in her life that refuses to leave her in peace.

Meanwhile, Joyce has never left home and the suffocating grip of her mother, Betty. For decades, their lives have been a bizarre symphony of matching dresses, flawless makeup, and a rigid daily routine. A single misstep can send Betty spiralling, so Joyce has always walked the line perfectly. But now, as middle age sets in and the menopause burns through her, something unfamiliar is rising inside Joyce - a whispered what if . . .

Against the faded backdrop of a once-grand seaside resort, these two women are trapped in worlds of their own making. But as they both confront their pasts - the toxic men, the forgotten dreams, the twisted expectations - fate is about to throw them together, as they wrestle with the question: Can we ever truly take flight on broken wings?