The Summer of Secrets

One day she was there . . . 
and the next day, the day after the fire, she was gone. 
 
A suspenseful, vividly drawn novel about a summer ending in tragedy, that will appeal to readers of quality book-club fiction like Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard and Helen Dunmore's The Lie.

An evocative and atmospheric coming-of-age story

Carys Bray, author of Richard and Judy Book Club pick A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEY

Claire Fuller, author of Desmond Elliot winning novel OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS

With beautiful, evocative prose, Sarah Jasmon captures perfectly all the heat and angst in one life-changing summer

Vanessa Lafaye, author of Richard and Judy Book Club pick SUMMERTIME

The vividness of memories shimmers dangerously and brightly throughout: it’s gripping, beautifully written and entirely evocative of time and place

Lyrical and sensuous, this wonderful portrait of people, time and place stayed with me long after I had finished

Elizabeth Forbes, author of NEAREST THING TO CRAZY

Sarah Jasmon lives on a canal boat in Lancashire, which is also the setting for her two novels – The Summer of Secrets and You Never Told Me. She has written short stories for a wide selection of publications and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Harper’s Bazaar short story competition. She is an Associate Tutor in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, and is currently studying for a PhD in Creative Geography.

'A wonderfully atmospheric first novel' Claire Fuller 
'An evocative and atmospheric coming-of-age story' Carys Bray 
 
The summer the Dovers move in next door, sixteen-year-old Helen's lonely world is at once a more thrilling place. She is infatuated with the bohemian family, especially the petulant and charming daughter Victoria. 
 
As the long, hot days stretch out in front of them, Helen and Victoria grow inseparable. But when a stranger appears, Helen begins to question whether the secretive Dover family are really what they seem. 
 
It’s the kind of summer when anything seems possible . . . 
 
Until something goes wrong. 
 
A suspenseful, spell-binding coming-of-age story about how one simple action on a summer's day can echo through the years. Perfect for fans of Louise Doughty's Apple Tree Yard, Liane Moriarty's The Husband's Secret and Helen Dunmore's The Lie.

Sarah Jasmon

Absorbing and insightful . . . A gripping and tender exploration of family secrets and shame.

Carys Bray, author of A SONG FOR ISSY BRADLEY

I loved this novel about journeys of discovery, both emotional and real. Sarah Jasmon has a great eye for complex family dynamics, long-hidden secrets, as well as the detail of life on a narrowboat. I was completely taken up with the main character, Charlie, and the intriguing mystery she uncovers. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Claire Fuller, author of OUR ENDLESS NUMBERED DAYS and SWIMMING LESSONS

Emma Curtis, bestselling author of THE NIGHT YOU LEFT

This was stunning. Utterly mesmerizing writing, an emotionally powerful story . . . I devoured it.

Louise Beech, author of CALL ME STAR GIRL

Sometimes travel is an escape and at other times, a passage to redemption. From the wonderfully drawn opening scenes in sticky, crowded Thailand the reader feels Charlie is adrift. For years she has avoided the secrets threatening to surface in her fractured family. This tale of a reluctant homecoming, of an outsider investigating the stories no one else will speak of, makes for a lyrical and compelling read. I especially liked the nicely fairytale notion of a mother bequeathing her daughter a narrowboat, and Charlie’s journey through warm-hearted canal communities. Jasmon writes skilfully about love, the unspoken, and the subtle evasions around a family’s painful past.

'Absorbing and insightful . . . A gripping and tender exploration of family secrets and shame' Carys Bray, author of A Song for Issy Bradley 
 
A year ago, Charlie’s life seemed to be following a plan: she had a beautiful house, a lovable dog and an upcoming wedding. But she felt trapped. A few months before the big day, ignoring the warnings from her family, she abandoned her life and fled to the other side of the world in a bid for freedom. 
 
But when her mother unexpectedly falls ill, Charlie has to cut her trip short. She flies home, but by the time she gets to the hospital, it’s too late. 
 
Her mother is gone, but she’s left a mystery behind. Why did she buy a canal boat, and where did the money for it come from? As Charlie attempts to work through her grief and pick up the pieces of her life, she follows the threads of her mother’s secret past – but has she missed her chance to learn the truth? 
 
'A gorgeous family drama' Emma Curtis, author of The Night You Left 
 
'Utterly mesmerizing writing, an emotionally powerful story . . . I devoured it' Louise Beech, author of Call Me Star Girl 
 
'I loved this novel about journeys of discovery . . . Sarah Jasmon has a great eye for complex family dynamics and long-hidden secrets, as well as the detail of life on a narrowboat' Claire Fuller, author of Our Endless Numbered Days 
 
'A lyrical and compelling read . . . Jasmon writes skilfully about love, the unspoken and the subtle evasions around a family's painful past' Martine Bailey, author of The Almanack

Sarah Jasmon

Praise for You Never Told Me

Absorbing and insightful . . . A gripping and tender exploration of family secrets and shame.

I loved this novel about journeys of discovery, both emotional and real. Sarah Jasmon has a great eye for complex family dynamics, long-hidden secrets, as well as the detail of life on a narrowboat. I ...

A gorgeous family drama.

Absorbing and insightful . . . A gripping and tender exploration of family secrets and shame.

I loved this novel about journeys of discovery, both emotional and real. Sarah Jasmon has a great eye for complex family dynamics, long-hidden secrets, as well as the detail of life on a narrowboat. I ...

A gorgeous family drama.

Absorbing and insightful . . . A gripping and tender exploration of family secrets and shame.

I loved this novel about journeys of discovery, both emotional and real. Sarah Jasmon has a great eye for complex family dynamics, long-hidden secrets, as well as the detail of life on a narrowboat. I ...

A gorgeous family drama.

Books by Sarah Jasmon

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