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''I didn’t realise my mother was a person until I was thirteen years old and she pulled me out of bed, put me in the back of her car, and we left home and my dad with no explanations. I thought that Ma was all that she was and all that she had ever wanted to be. I was wrong.
As we made our way from Virginia to California, returning to the places where she’d lived as a child in foster care and as a teenager on the run, repaying debts and keeping promises, I learned who she was in her life-before-me and the secrets she had kept – even from herself. But when life on the road began to feel normal I couldn’t forget the home we’d left behind, couldn’t deny that, just like my mother, I too had unfinished business.''
This enigmatic pilgrimage takes them back to various stages of Alex’s mother’s life, each new state prompting stories and secrets. Together they trace back through a life of struggle and adventure to put to rest unfinished business, to heal old wounds and to search out lost friends. That the gender of Alex is not specified makes this an even more fascinating journey, and sensitively handled by the author with tenderness and humour. This is an extraordinary story of a life; a stunning exploration of identity and an authentic study of the relationship between a mother and her child.
Praise for this book:
"A terrific storyteller with a flawless narrative voice." (The Times)
"A coming of age story, combined with a road trip, this is gorgeously written and the characters of Alex and Ma are so brilliantly drawn they’ll haunt you long after you’ve turned the final page. Quirky, original and moving." (Sunday Mirror)
"Author Sara Taylor has a knowing turn of phrase that illustrates a real understanding of what makes us complex human beings tick, and you’ll be rooting for Alex throughout." (Boundless Magazine)
Paperback, 298 Pages, Published May 2017
Author: Sara Taylor