WINNER OF THE BRONZE MEDAL IN THE WISHING SHELF BOOK AWARDS

Home. Is it a place or a feeling?

When Anu and her family move to a small village in the English countryside, she is desperate to put down roots in her new community. To her dismay, not everyone is welcoming. Is it her? Must she change to fit in?

In her quest for answers, she sets out to peel back the layers of her life, examining all that has made her who she is. Truth, she finds, is often uncomfortable and unpalatable. And rarely provides answers.

At a crossroads, Anu needs to determine which is the right path for her — acceptance from within or without?

Netgalley reviews:

*This novel is an important one for our times especially. As a woman, it’s hard to choose “what’s good and right for me-my family, my work” and to find “a deeper happiness… that cannot be corrupted from the outside”. There’s so much pressure to be all put together, to have kids who are well rounded, and the list goes on. Manco demonstrates throughout her novel what is important to Anu and causes the reader to reflect on their own priorities and if they are in the right order.*

*This is a beautifully written novel and I imagine it will resonate with a lot of readers for several different reasons. For me it resonated as I often struggled to find friendships and the ones that I cherish the most are ones that were found in later life. The author totally encapsulated how it must feel to be a migrant in a new country and the concerns and hurdles that they have to overcome just to fit in and be a part of society in ways that – I am ashamed to say – I may not have thought about before. It was very reminiscent to me of Brick Lane and Big Little Lies both are books that I adored.*

The Friendship Collection