Kathy Biggs – författare

'Kathy Biggs reminds me of Alan Bennett… she walks the fine line between humour and utter sadness in a way that is very rare' JAN NEWTON When you're feeling lost at sea, what will it take to guide you home? Grace lives with her father Jack on their crumbling family farm in Wales. Jack, who has dementia, lost his son Michael in a tragic accident at sea many years ago. Each night he is soothed by an old recording of the shipping forecast, lulled to sleep by the belief that Michael is safe.And while he sleeps, Grace wonders how she ended up back here, caring for her father rather than living her own life.One day, a young woman turns up on their farm, claiming to be Michael’s daughter. But how can this be, seeing as he died before she was born? United by this shared flicker of hope, the unlikely trio embark on a journey from the Welsh valleys to Whitby, which will change all their lives forever…

'Kathy Biggs reminds me of Alan Bennett… she walks the fine line between humour and utter sadness in a way that is very rare' JAN NEWTON When you're feeling lost at sea, what will it take to guide you home? Grace lives with her father Jack on their crumbling family farm in Wales. Jack, who has dementia, lost his son Michael in a tragic accident at sea many years ago. Each night he is soothed by an old recording of the shipping forecast, lulled to sleep by the belief that Michael is safe.And while he sleeps, Grace wonders how she ended up back here, caring for her father rather than living her own life.One day, a young woman turns up on their farm, claiming to be Michael’s daughter. But how can this be, seeing as he died before she was born? United by this shared flicker of hope, the unlikely trio embark on a journey from the Welsh valleys to Whitby, which will change all their lives forever…

'Kathy Biggs reminds me of Alan Bennett… she walks the fine line between humour and utter sadness in a way that is very rare' JAN NEWTON When you're feeling lost at sea, what will it take to guide you home? Grace lives with her father Jack on their crumbling family farm in Wales. Jack, who has dementia, lost his son Michael in a tragic accident at sea many years ago. Each night he is soothed by an old recording of the shipping forecast, lulled to sleep by the belief that Michael is safe.And while he sleeps, Grace wonders how she ended up back here, caring for her father rather than living her own life.One day, a young woman turns up on their farm, claiming to be Michael’s daughter. But how can this be, seeing as he died before she was born? United by this shared flicker of hope, the unlikely trio embark on a journey from the Welsh valleys to Whitby, which will change all their lives forever…

Two years into Darragh O'Grady's new life as a crop duster in 1930s America, everything is changed when he spots an abandoned farm from the cockpit of his plane. Despite its reportedly tragic history he buys the house and land - and the dark lake at its heart - marries indomitable but damaged Beattie Darling, and sets about making a home. But will the O'Gradys' love for one another prove powerful enough to overcome the hardships of a life punctuated by loss, and can they escape the lake's mysterious legacies?

'A truly clever and heart racing depiction of the human condition. Assimilation asks what we all face at some junction in our lives - where do I belong? Where do I fit in?' - CONNOR ALLEN Charlotte, young and fiercely independent, leaves the constraints of her Parisian childhood for Wales, running away from a traumatic event. Hoping to find peace and somewhere to rebuild her life, she is confronted with a growing sense of fragmentation and soon unravels. Her mother, Marianne, well-travelled and with a colourful past, is keeping a terrible secret. She tries her best to conform her family to French middle class expectations when all at home is far from ordinary. Wilson, a Nigerian man with a ticket to a new life studying at a New York university, falls victim to the French immigration system and finds himself stranded in Paris awaiting a visa that never comes. A vivid and powerful novel exploring how travel, memory and family stories shape who we are. Set against the backdrop of significant political and humanitarian events, questioning how we see migration today. Assimilation is an important book for our time. 'Spanning continents and slipping between time, this sophisticated and affecting novel shows how the secrets of the past never quite disappear, casting long, long shadows over the present day.' - JON GOWER