‘A gritty and captivating tale of resilience, violence and the power of female solidarity’ HARPER'S BAZAAR‘This unflinching debut builds relentlessly to a heart-stoppingly dramatic climax’ DAILY MAIL‘Haunting, lyrical and thoroughly gripping’ CLARE FISHER‘Thrilling, poetic, dark and alive – a shimmering gemstone of a debut’ ALICE ASHFrom the river it comes. To the river it always returns. Alex, Lauren and Nancy are three women each trapped in their own lives, swept along by forces beyond their control. Alex is isolated in her abusive marriage, and struggles to keep her growing family together; Lauren is doing what she can to provide for her two boys; and Nancy dreams of escaping the care home that her son abruptly moved her into. But there’s another character in this story. Beckoning, menacing, hiding within bushes and behind shadows. What unites these women? And can they break the cycles holding them back?