The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Virago Press

Copyright © Linda Grant 2023

Lyrics from ‘Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?’ on p. 85 by E. Y. Harburg and Jay Gorney

Extract from Autumn Journal on p. 154 by Louis MacNeice (Faber and Faber, 1939)

Zando supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, uploading, or distributing this book or any part of it without permission. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for brief quotations embodied in reviews), please contact connect@zandoprojects.com.

SJP Lit is an imprint of Zando.

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First SJP Lit Edition: October 2024

Text design by Virago Press

Cover design by Lucy Kim

Cover art: Little Girl by the Brook Holding a Sheaf of Flowers by William Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905). | Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images

The publisher does not have control over and is not responsible for author or other third-party websites (or their content).

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024936246

978-1-63893-168-3 (Hardcover)

978-1-63893-169-0 (ebook)

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Manufactured in the United States of America