Mute Swans: A hauntingly beautiful exploration of love, loss, and second chances

How do you save a marriage when the very truth of who you are is beginning to unravel?Mute Swans is a lyrical, deeply intimate portrait of a woman fighting for her future while the myths of her past fall apart."A story that pulls you in and won't let go, even after you've turned the last page." - PETER BENSON, author of The Levels"A thoughtful, emotional read with strong, interesting characters." - LOVEREADINGMute Swans is a moving family drama with captivating plot twists." - BOOKBROWSE"A layered novel that digs into the hurts, surprises, and special bonds that make up a family."-THE BOOKLIFE PRIZEPerfect for readers of Tessa Hadley, Sally Rooney, and Joanna Trollope, who love raw, emotionally complex and intimate adult contemporary fiction.When Miriam is handed her mother's memory journal, she expects a quiet keepsake of the past. Instead, its pages unravel the truth of her parents' marriage and expose the cracks in her own.As her mother's dementia deepens, Miriam is forced to confront a family history she thought she knew. Secrets from post-war austerity to the social changes of the 1960s surface, with past choices continuing to shape the lives of those she loves.Trapped in the suffocating silence of a failing marriage to her rigid husband, Michael, Miriam finds herself questioning everything she believes about love, loyalty and family. Then a chance encounter offers something she thought she had lost forever: a genuine connection, and the fragile possibility of a second chance.But moving forward means finding the courage to dismantle the past.Spanning generations between the coast of Devon and the vibrant streets of Brighton, Mute Swans is a deeply moving, richly layered novel about family secrets, later-in-life love and the quiet courage it takes to change the course of a life.Content note: This unflinching yet compassionate story contains complex adult themes, including dementia, coercive sexual behaviour, and frank depictions of emotional and physical disconnection within a long marriage.