The Edgar-nominated, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Daughter and The Playground weaves a breathtaking tale of betrayal, family, and secrets from the past in this crackling novel of psychological suspense. Two women. Two secrets. One terrible night. PAXOS, GREECE. The vacation house is a luxurious getaway for a wealthy English family, windows open to sun and the sea, a sparkling swimming pool, and a verdant garden. One hot summer night, while the parents and their friends drink wine and amuse themselves, a young woman — the teenage daughter of the Greek caretaker—ventures for a walk on their private beach. Her life will never be the same again. LONDON, ENGLAND, TEN YEARS LATER. Julia is the perfect spouse and mother. Slender, blonde, expensively dressed, she’s the classic “yummy mummy” of high society: cook, organizer, arm candy, and speechwriter to her influential husband. But behind her winning smile is a stifled woman trapped in a gilded cage, stricken with anxiety and perfectionism. When Julia meets Laurel, a therapist who promises to help her find fulfillment, Julia opens herself up to the hope of a different future. BOUND BY THE PAST. What happened in Greece all those years ago that binds these two women together? And will uncovering the truth destroy everything… or set them free?
Publication date: William Morrow Paperbacks (December 26, 2023)
Pages: 287 pages
ASIN: B0BZPXHR7M
About the Author: While working as a GP, Jane Shemilt completed a postgraduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol University and went on to study for the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa, gaining both with distinction. Her first novel, Daughter, was selected for the Richard & Judy Book Club, shortlisted for the Edgar Award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, and went on to become the bestselling debut novel of 2014. Since then Jane has published three more bestselling thrillers: Little Friends, The Drowning Lesson, and How Far We Fall. The Patient is her first novel with HarperCollins, and will be out in April 2022. She and her husband, a professor of neurosurgery, have five children and live in Bristol.