| Vendor | |
|---|---|
|
Fletcher Agency
Melissa Chinchillo |
| Original language | |
| English | |
THE SECRET CHILDREN
Assam, 1925. Based on the author's own family history, this novel follows the story of two sisters, Vienna and Mary, growing up caught between two worlds and belonging to neither. Daughters of a British plantation owner and a local Indian girl, they are kept a secret all their lives...
Their beautiful mother was branded an outcast as soon as a British tea planter chose her to be his mistress, although she believed she would one day become his wife. He would never marry her, never legitimize their children, and she gradually descends into despair, falling apart as war beckons and her relationship with the Britisher disintegrates.
The story follows Vienna and Mary throughout their lives; the early years on their mother's farm, to precious few days on their father's plantation. They are sent to a convent, far off in Haflong and ultimately their visits home dwindle until one day they aren't sent for during their summer holiday, and the girls realize their place in the world-- they suffer a birthright that means they belong nowhere. They grow up to be two very different women with polarized lives. The elder turns her back on India, marries a wealthy man and reinvents herself as colonial ex-pat. She is never accepted as such and knows it, a cruel irony. The younger sister embraces her heritage, moves to the UK, marries a poor man for love and is subjected to a hard life and racial hatred. The novel is an amazing window into the lives of the countless children born to Indian mothers and colonial British fathers. It's a story of love, secrets and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. The Secret Children is a story that will transport you to a different place and time and leave its magic with you long after you finish the book. ALISON MCQUEEN is a pseudonym for Alison Penton Harper, a writer from the UK who won the Richard & Judy first novel competition for Housewife in Love and has a series of bestselling romantic comedies published by Macmillan UK. She is the daughter of the Mary character in the novel.
The story follows Vienna and Mary throughout their lives; the early years on their mother's farm, to precious few days on their father's plantation. They are sent to a convent, far off in Haflong and ultimately their visits home dwindle until one day they aren't sent for during their summer holiday, and the girls realize their place in the world-- they suffer a birthright that means they belong nowhere. They grow up to be two very different women with polarized lives. The elder turns her back on India, marries a wealthy man and reinvents herself as colonial ex-pat. She is never accepted as such and knows it, a cruel irony. The younger sister embraces her heritage, moves to the UK, marries a poor man for love and is subjected to a hard life and racial hatred. The novel is an amazing window into the lives of the countless children born to Indian mothers and colonial British fathers. It's a story of love, secrets and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. The Secret Children is a story that will transport you to a different place and time and leave its magic with you long after you finish the book. ALISON MCQUEEN is a pseudonym for Alison Penton Harper, a writer from the UK who won the Richard & Judy first novel competition for Housewife in Love and has a series of bestselling romantic comedies published by Macmillan UK. She is the daughter of the Mary character in the novel.