You aren't stupid.
You know there's no such thing as a perfect mother.
Plenty of other books will tell you there is, but this one won't lie to you.

I was weak and I cheated and I was punished, but my god I loved my child through all of it.
Love means you never break, and it means you're stronger than the things they do to you. I know this is true because I have been through fire, and I am the proof that love survives.

I am not a perfect mother but I will tell you the perfect truth, because this is you and me talking.
This is my story.

The extraordinary first novel from the author of THE OTHER HAND

About the Author
Chris Cleave is a New York Times #1 bestselling novelist whose books are published in forty countries. His debut novel INCENDIARY won the Somerset Maugham Award, among others. His second, the Costa-shortlisted THE OTHER HAND, was a global bestseller and sat in the New York Times Top Ten for over a year (under the US title, Little Bee). Both books were shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers' Prizes. He lives in Kingston-upon-Thames with his wife and three children, and welcomes readers at facebook.com/ChrisCleaveBooks, www.chriscleave.com and twitter.com/chriscleave.

Reviews
Stunning... a haunting work of art. * Newsweek *
Chris Cleave has the ability to create moving and beautiful scenes within a terrifying backdrop. I couldn't put it down; it's subversive, thought-provoking and well-written. * Observer, Books of the Year *
Richly sardonic and often disarmingly poignant... How can one fail to be impressed and moved? * Guardian *
Cleave's heroine is by turns funny, sad, flawed, sympathetic, both damaged and indomitable, and triumphantly convincing. * Sunday Telegraph *
Stunning * New York Times AND International Herald Tribune AND Bookmarks Magazine *
This is a compulsive read, sure to stir the dust * CITY AM *
Searing.. poignant and compelling.. Utterly believable and mesmerizing * Newsday *
Dark, tense and undeniably provocative * Metro *
Hilariously sympathetic and convincing * San Francisco Chronicle *
Mesmerizing * Washington Post *


Awards
Winner of Somerset Maugham Awards 2006 (UK) and United States Book of the Month Club 2005 (UK). Short-listed for Commonwealth Writers Prize 2006 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780340998489
Author Chris Cleave
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint Sceptre
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 251g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 23mm