The Drowning

More than anything, sixteen-year-old Jenna wants to dance, not just in her studio in St Ives, or in her local class, but professionally, in London, under the eyes of the best teachers in the world. She knows her father will support her all the way; that her aunt will help with the fees and give her a home in the big city. Her mother, however, is a problem. She remains unconvinced of Jenna’s talent and pours scorn on her dreams.

But then a fatal accident blows Jenna’s Cornish life and family apart. Left in her care one hot summer’s afternoon, her beloved younger brother, Benjie, drowns behind some lethal rocks. Blaming herself entirely, guilty and grief-stricken, Jenna puts all her plans on hold. She relinquishes her hard-fought place at ballet school to support her father and their family-run café, trying valiantly to pretend this is the life she wants.

Until she finds Benjie’s diary and starts to probe its secrets. It seems he was being bullied at school; that a pair of twins could have been involved. A chance meeting with someone who was there with her that tragic afternoon could help. What does Jenna discover that puts the accident in a whole new light? And will she find the courage and determination to pursue her dancing dream?

Valerie Mendes is the author of two picture books and of four critically acclaimed novels for young adults (Girl in the Attic, Coming of Age, Lost and Found and The Drowning. Larkswood is her first historical novel for the adult marketplace. She lives in Oxfordshire and is the mother of the theatre and film director Sam Mendes CBE.