Could Joy have been a different kind of girl, another woman, if her mother hadn't given her up?

“From the arid desert of eighties Arizona to swinging sixties London, Noëlle Harrison connects her beautifully drawn characters and weaves them into a story that entangled, enchanted and entranced this reader.”
— LIZ NUGENT, author of Lying in Wait

“So rich in love, loss, blame, misunderstanding, secrets and betrayals — this book has everything.”
— SINÉAD MORIARTY, author of The Good Mother

“From big sky Arizona to an Ireland of 'corners and clouds', Noëlle Harrison leads us on a hypnotic dance across the decades. A vivid, gripping tale of family secrets and lost love.”
— SANDRA IRELAND, author of Beneath the Skin

Arizona, 1989

Joy Sheldon loves the plants that bloom in the desert but dreams too of the sea's elemental wildness. Now, riven by terrible secrets, Joy embarks on a journey to seek her identity — and to discover why the sea pulls at her heart.

London, 1967

Lewis Bell, a young graphic designer, is aiming for the big time — if only he can keep his creative spark. But, as his talented girlfriend Marnie adds her own pressures, sixties Soho fast shows its darker side.

Ireland, 1989

Drawn together, Joy and Lewis fly across the Atlantic to the Irish coast. She's in search of a lost mother; he's looking for a lost love. They need to make peace with the past, themselves and others. But the truths they encounter will transform everyone's lives forever.

Bold, intimate and joyful. This glorious novel tells an unforgettable story of love's true gravity.

Noelle Harrison