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Constance has made a new life for herself in a foreign land. She is a musician, a composer, a highly paid arranger of other people's music, living in a lively expatriate community in Bali. There the world is idyllic - beautiful beaches framed with lush, green trees, charming small houses, and a relaxed, convivial lifestyle. So when the news comes of her sister's serious illness the last thing she wants to do is return to London. Her sister is much older than Constance - and not a real relative. Constance was adopted. While she never felt completely at home with her 'family', nor did she ever want to find her birth mother. But none of these are the real reason she is so reluctant to go home. It is far more complicated than that: before leaving London, she fell in love with her sister's husband. But Constance does go back to London. She discovers a great deal more about her sister and family, gets to know her 18-year old nephew and his Lithuanian girlfriend, learns about her family history and the hidden connections with her past. Most importantly of all, she must face the dilemma of her forbidden love; and in doing so, discover a new identity for herself.
A woman living an idyllic life in Bali is forced to confront her complicated past and a forbidden attraction when she returns to London to care for her ailing sister. Constance, a musician who has built a carefully curated life far from her roots, must navigate the tension of returning to a family she never felt she truly belonged to. The narrative follows her as she manages the emotional weight of her sister's illness while grappling with the lingering feelings she harbors for her brother-in-law. Through this return, she is compelled to re-examine her identity, her history as an adoptee, and the secrets that have defined her relationships.
This novel presents a character-focused study of displacement and the search for belonging within the structure of a family drama. The narrative suggests a focus on the psychological weight of secrets and the difficulty of reconciling past desires with present responsibilities. Readers likely find the contrast between the protagonist's two worlds to be a central element in her development. The story leans into the emotional nuances of its premise, prioritizing the internal evolution of the protagonist over external plot twists.
Page Count:
480
Publication Date:
2008-03-03
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0007173563
ISBN-13:
9780007173563
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