Shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction.
A beautifully written debut novel about love and loss. When the young Anna Sands is evacuated to a country estate she becomes embroiled in the complicated twists and turns of a love affair she should really know nothing about. A sensitive and moving coming of age novel.
"A fantastic and beautiful description of an evacuee child in wartime. One of those books that you’re likely to remember all your life.”Alexandra Shulman (Orange Prize for Fiction 2010 judging panel)
England, 31st August 1939: the world is on the brink of war. As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, thousands of children are evacuated from London to escape the impending Blitz. Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated with other children to a large Yorkshire estate which has been opened up to evacuees by Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, an enigmatic childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into their unravelling relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes - and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, with unforeseen consequences.
A story of love, loss and complicated loyalties, combining a sweeping narrative with subtle psychological observation, The Very Thought of You is a haunting and memorable debut.
