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Sunbirds

By: Penelope Slocombe
Narrated by: Anna Burnett
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Summary

'Seductive' Daily Mail

'Vivid and packed with emotion, this assured debut about a mother searching for her son will take you on a journey to the ragged landscape of the Himalayas' Woman and Home

'A thought-provoking ode to motherhood' Scots Magazine

In 1997 Anne's eighteen-year-old son Torran walked out of his hotel in the notorious Himalayan town of Manali - and disappeared.

Seven years later Anne is still searching, haunted by the idea that someone must know something, following every tenuous lead, obsessed with potential sightings. She's ridden with guilt at the way she failed Torran as a mother. Though, unlike her husband, she's never stopped believing her son is alive.

When her estranged niece Esther arrives with new information, Anne is convinced that her tenacity will finally be rewarded. Forging an uneasy truce, they venture deep into the lush but unpredictable Himalayas, hunting for answers and the secluded community living in the Sunshine House.

It is a journey that will test them in ways they couldn't have imagined. And the closer they get to discovering the truth, the more Anne begins to question everything she thought she wanted.
©2024 Penelope Slocombe (P)2024 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
Family Life Literary Fiction Crime Fiction
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Critic reviews

A marvellous read - pin-sharp on motherhood and finding yourself as an older woman. By the end, I was as reluctant to leave India as any of the characters (Sally Magnusson, author of MUSIC IN THE DARK)
A poignant and beautifully-written novel about the expectations of families, the weight of love and the grief of loss. Sunbirds moves easily between the familiar and the otherworldly, questioning whether you can ever truly write your own story (Emma Flint, author of OTHER WOMEN)
A fantastically assured and evocative debut . . . A novel at once lyrical and meditative, propulsive and thrilling (Emylia Hall, author of THE SHELL HOUSE DETECTIVES)
Humane and understated, it creeps up on you, this novel, in the best way, all while being completely gripping (Lauren Brown, author of HANDS)

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Poetic

It has lovely in-depth poetic descriptions (mostly of India) with interesting moments of the Scottish island culture.
I had a bit of difficulty keeping track with the characters and the time-sequence of the plot, which spoilt (somewhat) the lovely flowing prose.
An excellent achievement for a first-time author.

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