Chloë Ashby – författare

The literary must-read of the summer: a deeply atmospheric novel about friendship, marriage, and long-suppressed secrets. Perfect for readers of Miranda Cowley Heller's The Paper Palace, A Family Matter by Claire Lynch, and Tessa Hadley.'Riveting ... I was gripped from the start' Claire Powell, author of All In'A perfect literary holiday read ... You won’t want to put it down' Roxy Dunn, author of Wants and NeedsSince they first met at university twenty years ago, Maggie and Will have spent the last two weeks of every summer in France with their close friends, Lydia and Roland. Both families have been looking forward to this cherished annual ritual. But this year things are different.Will has been hiding something from his wife, and is struggling to keep his deceit from seeping into the cracks in their marriage.Maggie is worried about their withdrawn teenage son.Roland is grappling with grief over the death of his first wife.Lydia is trying to ignore past chemistry with an old friend while learning to play second fiddle to a ghost.And then, into this conflicted fray steps Issy, Roland’s beguiling, irrepressible daughter from his first marriage.As the August heat beats down, and the children find new ways to entertain themselves, it starts to feel as if the fault lines in these relationships might widen; that it might be harder to hide secrets here, under the bright sun.Deeply atmospheric, sophisticated and compelling, Family Friends is about what happens when the ties of love and loyalty are stretched to breaking point, how relationships change (and don’t change) over time, and how we navigate the challenges thrown at us in every season of life.Praise for Family Friends:'An intelligent, evocative, elegant novel simmering with tension and drama' Lisa Owens, author of Natural Disaster'A propulsive story with intrigue, secrecy and drama – I had a wonderful time reading it' Jenny Mustard, author of What A Time To Be Alive'Sultry and very evocative' Jo Hamya, author of The Hypocrite'An involving and psychologically acute portrait of marriage, friendship and loyalty tested to the limit. A sophisticated summer page-turner for Tessa Hadley fans' The Bookseller, Editor's Choice

Colours of Art takes the reader on a journey through history via 80 carefully curated artworks and their palettes. For these pieces, colour is not only a tool (like a paintbrush or a canvas) but the fundamental secret to their success. Colour allows artists to express their individuality, evoke certain moods and portray positive or negative subliminal messages. And throughout history the greatest of artists have experimented with new pigments and new technologies to lead movements and deliver masterpieces. But as something so cardinal, we sometimes forget how poignant colour palettes can be, and how much they can tell us.When Vermeer painted The Milkmaid, the amount of ultramarine he could use was written in the contract. How did that affect how he used it? When Turner experimented with Indian Yellow, he captured roaring flames that brought his paintings to life. If he had used a more ordinary yellow, would he have created something so extraordinary? And how did Warhol throw away the rulebook to change what colour could achieve? Structured chronologically, Colours of Art provides a fun, intelligent and visually engaging look at the greatest artistic palettes in art history – from Rafael’s use of perspective and Vermeer’s ultramarine, to Andy Warhol’s hot pinks and Lisa Brice’s blue women.  Colours of Art offers a refreshing take on the subject and acts as a primer for artists, designers and art lovers who want to look at art history from a different perspective.

'A blistering story' STYLIST | 'A distinctive voice' OBSERVER | 'A skilful, absorbing novel that is so much about seeing and being seen' SPECTATORSearingly incisive, darkly funny and achingly poignant, Wet Paint is a novel about attempting to navigate the world as a twenty-something woman, exploring the highs and lows of friendship, love and loss.Since the death of her best friend Grace, twenty-six-year-old Eve has learned to keep everything and everyone at arm's length. Safe in her detachment, she scrapes along waiting tables and cleaning her shared flat in exchange for cheap rent, finding solace in her small routines.But when a chance encounter at work brings her past thundering into her present, Eve becomes consumed by painful memories of Grace. And soon her precariously maintained life begins to unravel: she loses her job, gets thrown out of her flat, and risks pushing away the one decent man who cares about her.Taking up life-modelling to pay the bills, Eve lays bare her body but keeps hidden the mounting chaos inside her head. When her self-destructive urges spiral out of control, she's forced to confront the traumatic event that changed the course of her life, and to finally face her grief and guilt.Perfect for fans of Conversations with Friends, Luster and My Year of Rest and Relaxation.

'Almost hypnotically perfect prose' Kate Sawyer'A thoughtful, tender and delicate consideration of life's choices' Huma Qureshi 'Ashby handles her material lightly and atmospherically' Rowan Hisayo BuchananWhen Cathy and Noah first got together neither saw children in their future. Eight years later, they're happily married - and Cathy isn't so sure. With Noah's patience for his wife's ambivalence waning, her widowed mother in a world of her own and her best friend yearning for a second baby, Cathy feels increasingly adrift.Escaping into her work in the conservation studios of the National Gallery, she chips away at the layers of overpaint on a canvas from the collection. Will the discovery of an unexpected truth help her find the clarity she craves?This absorbing second novel from the author of WET PAINT - about confronting expectations and learning to cope with the nagging, complex questions that shape a life - is perfect for fans of OKAY DAYS, EXPECTATION and OLIVE.READERS LOVE SECOND SELF⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book spoke to me like no other. Loved all the characters, big or small'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I read this emotive and gripping novel over 48 hours - it's a beautifully written story and I recommend to anyone!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A gorgeous novel that pulled me straight out of my ongoing slow reading . . . pretty much read majority of it in one sitting!'

Colours of Art takes the reader on a journey through history via 80 carefully curated artworks and their palettes. For these pieces, colour is not only a tool (like a paintbrush or a canvas) but the fundamental secret to their success. Colour allows artists to express their individuality, evoke certain moods and portray positive or negative subliminal messages. And throughout history the greatest of artists have experimented with new pigments and new technologies to lead movements and deliver masterpieces. But as something so cardinal, we sometimes forget how poignant colour palettes can be, and how much they can tell us.When Vermeer painted The Milkmaid, the amount of ultramarine he could use was written in the contract. How did that affect how he used it? When Turner experimented with Indian Yellow, he captured roaring flames that brought his paintings to life. If he had used a more ordinary yellow, would he have created something so extraordinary? And how did Warhol throw away the rulebook to change what colour could achieve? Structured chronologically, Colours of Art provides a fun, intelligent and visually engaging look at the greatest artistic palettes in art history – from Rafael’s use of perspective and Vermeer’s ultramarine, to Andy Warhol’s hot pinks and Lisa Brice’s blue women.  Colours of Art offers a refreshing take on the subject and acts as a primer for artists, designers and art lovers who want to look at art history from a different perspective.