From the international bestselling author of Hello from the Gillespies and The House of Memories comes the warm, funny story of a woman who defies her familyโs expectations on a journey to redefine herself.
For years, Sylvie Devereaux, the one member of her famous family of artists and designers who has no artistic talent at all, has been the โgo toโ person for their every practical need, and all of it has gone largely unappreciated. But her sisterโs second wedding provides a moment of truth. During the reception, Great-Aunt Millicent publicly offers to hire Sylvie as her companion, so that they can be old maids together.
Is that how people really think of her? Is that what she wants? Only her brother Sebastian seems to see Sylvie as a warm-hearted, talented woman who deserves a life of her own. With his encouragement, Sylvie begins to step out of her familyโs shadow, but creating a future for herself isnโt as straightforward or predictable a process as she expects. And where she ends up surprises everyone, Sylvie most of all.
Praise for Monica McInerney and her novels:
โMcInerney brings humor and insight into issues of sibling rivalry, family secrecy, and romantic betrayal.โโThe Boston Globe
โYouโll be laughing out loud one minute and crying the next.โโCosmopolitan
โMonica McInerney isnโt just one of my favorite writers from down under, but from anywhere.โโSally Koslow, author of The Widow Waltz
โ[McInerney] brings Maeve Binchy readily to mind.โโThe Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia)
International bestselling writer Monica McInerney is the award-winning author of ten previous novels including Hello From the Gillespies and The House of Memories, one short-story collection, and numerous stories and articles. She grew up in Australia, one of seven children, and has split her time between Australia and Ireland for twenty years. Monica and her Irish husband currently live in Dublin, Ireland.