I've read lots of stories about Asian mothers, seen various send-ups of them on TV programmes and watched all the standard Asian coming-of-age films. I've seen lots of send-ups about mothers in general, Asian or not. I don't want to make my mum out to be just another caricature. But sometimes she can make it really difficult.

When Anjali finds out that Jack, her boyfriend of ten years, has been cheating on her, it throws her world into chaos. Heartbroken, she fills the emptiness by embarking on a series of flings that her traditional Sri Lankan mother would (mostly) disapprove of.

Yet she can no longer avoid her mother or Shanthi, her distant older sister. And so begins her real journey, one that will make Anjali confront a past she's been desperate to forget. But maybe the past can also be the bridge to her future . . .

Travelling between England and Sri Lanka, Things My Mother Told Me is a warm, moving and funny story about love, loss, family, cultural divides and the voices we hear in our heads. It will stay with you long after you've turned the final page.

About the Author
Tanya Atapattu is a writer and a doctor. She has worked in general medicine in Liverpool and London, as well as volunteering in Malawi. She now specialises in psychiatry. Outside of her medical career, writing is her passion. She studied Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and has previously been longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition and Bath Novel Award. Tanya lives in Bristol with her partner and two children. Things My Mother Told Me is her first novel.

Reviews
A heartwarming, witty novel about what happens when life as you know it falls apart. Refreshingly honest and poignant, I was carried along with Anjali's story completely, and felt like her family were my own by the end! I loved this. -- Sadie Pearse
Funny and big-hearted and poignant -- Julie Cohen



Book Information
ISBN 9780751573503
Author Tanya Atapattu
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Sphere
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 412g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 179mm * 23mm