The Shouts Beneath

Winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction Discoveries Award 2023

An intensely gripping modern myth about family, secrets, belonging, identity and the power of finding your voice.

Emily has spent her life running away. She never speaks about what happened between her and her mother at her family home when she was a child. All anyone knows is that same night her father packed up the car and drove Emily away. For her safety, he said. She hasn’t been home since.

When her mother dies on her 28th birthday, everything changes. She sees her mother everywhere. She catches glimpses at the corner of her eye. She haunts her dreams.

And as the line between dreaming and waking begins to blur, her husband Matt convinces her that the only way she can make peace with her past is to make one final visit to the house she grew up in. With Matt and her friends by her side, she feels ready to take the leap.

Opening this Pandora's box will change Emily’s life forever. Is she ready to face the truth?