Sylvia Colley – författare

Nature or nurture? The impact of traumatic childhood experience reverberates into the grown-up world of Frank, Alice and Henry – children from three families suffering the fall-out from their early life. Frank, a working-class boy abused by his step-father, Alice, physically handicapped and frustrated, Henry, the less clever son of wealthy ambitious parentsFrom a rundown estate in Eastleigh, a small town in Darlington and an affluent Cotswold home, each character grapples with the life fate has handed them. Until by chance they all come together in adulthood, the repercussions are explosive.

Rose Gregory has suffered a devastating blow, a double bereavement from which months later she is still reeling. Sanctuary and rest are prescribed by her doctor. But when she arrives at her refuge, a dank and decaying Monastery, she finds it is not the haven promised. Despite the veneer of calm contemplation, the Monastery turns out to be a hotbed of intrigue and disharmony. Rose witnesses bullying and cruelty and ultimately in defence of the vulnerable turns to violence herself. Sylvia Colley’s extraordinary understanding of a woman’s struggle to deal with grief, the denial, the anger, the loneliness, is described without sentimentality. A beautifully written and moving story.

Rose Gregory has suffered a devastating blow, a double bereavement from which months later she is still reeling.Sanctuary and rest are prescribed by her doctor. But when she arrives at her refuge, a dank and decaying monastery, she finds it is not the haven promised.Despite the veneer of calm contemplation, the monastery turns out to be a hotbed of intrigue and disharmony. Rose witnesses bullying and cruelty and ultimately in defence of the vulnerable turns to violence herself.Sylvia Colley’s extraordinary understanding of a woman’s struggle to deal with grief – the denial, the anger, the loneliness – is described without sentimentality. A beautifully written and moving story.Sylvia Colley was born in Romsey, Hampshire. She became a teacher and spent many years as Head of English at the Purcell School in North London.She has published a book of poetry, 'It's Not What I Wanted Though', and a novel, 'Lights on Dark Water'. Her work has been read on BBC Radio 4. She lives in Pinner, Middlesex.

Luigi went out one morning and never came back. Without him, Anna feels worthless, losing all sense of all she is. Only the fear of the darkness closing in drives her to attempt some kind of normality. But Gigi's unseen presence is powerful and inhibits Anna from making a new life. Even her attraction to musician Greg feels like a betrayal.An encounter with a friend leads to a new teaching job, offering a chance to find herself. But the school is driven by fear and unsuspecting Anna is exploited by the manipulative headmaster and at the same time cruelly undermined by a jealous colleague. Now the fragile new life she's building threatens to collapse. It is a chance meeting with a stranger who helps her to see that there are lights on dark water.Perfect for fans of fans of Alice Munro, Lorrie Moore, and Irish Murdoch. Sylvia Colley was born in Romsey, Hampshire. She became a teacher and spent many years as Head of English at the Purcell School in North London.She has published a book of poetry, 'It's Not What I Wanted Though', and a novel, 'Lights on Dark Water'. Her work has been read on BBC Radio 4. She lives in Pinner, Middlesex.