Islands - Gwyn Gb

Katherine, is a successful business woman living and working in London. She's estranged from her husband and family and hiding from the pain of failed motherhood. When a major murder and child abuse investigation launches in her home island of Jersey, the news shocks the island and brings the world's media to its idyllic shores. As the island of Jersey faces up to its hidden past, Katherine is forced to face up to hers. A letter arrives from the dying mother of her teenage friend - the friend whose death Katherine caused 32 years before. She knows she must return home and tell the truth; but Katherine isn't the only one with secrets... Will the truth heal or destroy her? Will she ever come to terms with what drove her away from the man she loved and the sister that needs her?

UK Kindle reviews:

"If you only read one book this year - make sure it's this one! a beautifully crafted story with characters you will care about as they could so easily be you and I. Difficult subjects that touch us all are dealt with with a rare level of honesty, integrity and understanding. The book delivers a powerful message about secrets kept for the best of intentions... but at huge cost to all parties."

"If you expect this to be just another 'woman's book', you will be sorely mistaken. I wept at its honesty when I read its first draft because this is a book which does not shy away from handling big issues - both miscarriage for women and the miscarriage of justice. The Jersey/Haut de la Garenne abuse scandal struck to the very heart of a tight-knit society. When it was revealed that the press had been mislead, they were no longer there to report the true story. Gwyn skillfully does it now by combining a fictionalised account of the depths to which that scandal shook Jersey. It is a tour de force - and if you keep referring back to the sequence of true events at the end of the book, you will see exactly why as you follow the story of a woman coming to terms with her own sad story."

"Downloaded this today and have just read it in one go. Page turning, plot secrets revealed with unexpected twists. Brilliant capturing of the pain of invisible loss. Details of dates remembered when no-one else knows. Anchored in the beauty of an island community. A gorgeous debut novel. I am looking forward to the one by Gwyn GB already."