The outcast - Sadie Jones

The bestselling novel behind the major new BBC drama starring George Mackay (Pride), Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey), Greg Wise (Cranford) and Hattie Morahan (Sense and Sensibility)

Sussex, 1957. Lewis is nineteen, straight out of jail, and stands alone at a railway station.

He's returned to the village where he grew up: the village where, a decade earlier, tragedy tore his family apart, leaving him to a troubled adolescence with a father he barely knew.

Now, the only person who understands him is Kit Carmichael, daughter of a bullying local businessman. Through the pain and isolation of their shared childhood comes love and loyalty - and soon they realise that to forge their own futures, they must first confront the darkest secrets of their past.

THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

WINNER OF THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL PRIZE

'Devastatingly good'
Daily Mail

'A gripping love story with a twist. If you liked Atonement by Ian McEwan, you'll love this'
Harper's Bazaar

'A dark but beautifully written, heart-wringing suspense tale'
Independent on Sunday

'Compelling and emotionally absorbing, Sadie Jones's use of language is elegant and her characters heartbreaking'
Jojo Moyes

'Reads like a thriller, the tension and menace build expertly...a powerful novel'
Financial Times

'Comparisons with Ian McEwan are inevitable, but Jones's assured, compassionate writing is satisfyingly original'
Guardian

'The sense of mounting suspense coupled with the beautifully drawn characterisation makes this a novel that's guaranteed to get right under your skin'
Glamour

'Beautifully crafted, wonderfully filmic, very real and emotional. It keeps you guessing. All you want in a book'
Daily Express