Books by Polly Samson

BY THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A THEATRE FOR DREAMERSAn Observer Book of the Year'Brilliant, tender and beautiful' ANDREW O'HAGAN 'A dark, sexy little masterpiece' JOJO MOYES 'An addictive, cleverly structured and intriguing relationship story of lies and flawed communication' SUNDAY TIMES Book of the Week 'Entices you to revel in its languid, beautifully written prose while demanding that you turn the page to discover the secrets it holds ' OBSERVER Paperback of the week Julian's fall begins the moment he sets eyes on Julia. Julia is married and eight years Julian's senior. Ignoring warnings from family and friends they give up all they have to be together. Their new life offers immense happiness, especially after their daughter Mira is born. But when Mira becomes terrifyingly ill, it is impossible for Julia to conceal the explosive secret that she has been keeping at the heart of their lives.

Quite unlike her fair stepsisters, Lizzie is dark and secretive: 'Just like your father' says her mother. But what was her father like? Photos of him are hidden away; snatches of overheard conversation between her mother and her stepfather deepen the mystery. Only her best friend Savannah - also abandoned by her father when she was a baby - knows what it feels like to wonder, to try and piece together an earlier story. But when events propel Lizzie alone to London she stops wondering and starts searching...Beautifully evoking the ache of childhood loss, the scrappy joys of chaotic families, and the hurt and relief of understanding, OUT OF THE PICTURE reveals Polly Samson's talent for laying bare the uncomfortable truths that lie just under the skin - in every family, in every secret.

In an English seaside town, lovers and children, young men and middle-aged women weave in and out of each other's lives and stories.A mother is tormented by her daughter's tattoo; another only pretends to love her baby. A wife stalks her husband and his new lover; a broken egg through a letterbox tells a story that will not go away; the cat thinks he knows best. Threaded throughout are longings for love and poignant disappointments, surprising pleasures and temptations. Some will fall but some, like the small boy at the circus who sees his babysitter fly past on a trapeze wearing little more than a blue bra and spangles, will retain their feeling of awe.PERFECT LIVES, follows Polly Samson's rapturously received first collection, LYING IN BED. They are rueful, knowing, witty, poignant, bashful, bold. Her genius is in the nuance.