Almost every graduating class had a girl who disappeared. A decades-old crime threatens to tear apart three generations of women in this unputdownable mystery that will keep you gripped until its last heart-wrenching page.
1949. It is the coldest winter Orcades Island has ever known, when a pregnant sixteen-year-old arrives at Fairmile, a home for ‘fallen women’ run by the Catholic Church. She and her baby will disappear before the snow melts.
2013. Frankie Gray has come to the island for the summer, hoping for one last shot at reconnecting with her teenage daughter, Izzy, before starting a job as a deputy sheriff. They are staying with her mother, Diana, at The Fairmile Inn, soon to be a boutique hotel, but when an elderly nun is found dead in suspicious circumstances, and then a tiny skeleton is discovered in the grounds of the house, Frankie is desperate for answers.
At once an evocative, unsettling tale of past misdeeds and a crime thriller that will have you reading with your heart in your mouth, The Only Child is compulsively addictive storytelling from bestselling author Kayte Nunn.
Kayte Nunn is an author of six books, including international bestsellers The Botanist’s Daughter, The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant, The Silk House and The Last Reunion. She’s best known among BR readers for writing captivating works of historical fiction that follow dual timelines, something she does once again in her latest novel, The Only Child.
In the author’s note, Nunn states that she was inspired to write the novel after undertaking research into homes for fallen women in the US, Australia, UK and Ireland. Nunn was shocked by the heartbreaking experiences women – sometime no older than girls – suffered in these places, where they were atrociously treated and forced to give up their babies, often against their will. In The Only Child, Nunn gives a voice to these women, shedding a light on this little-known part of history, experiences that are relevant now more than ever given the recent overturning of Roe vs Wade and the ever-growing threat to women’s reproductive rights.
Though harrowing at times, The Only Child is a captivating historical mystery set against a moody and atmospheric island backdrop, which adds to the suspense. The female characters at the centre of this story are extremely compelling, and Nunn deftly moves between the dual timelines to bring to life the story of these women, examining the way trauma is passed from generation to generation.
Beautifully written and haunting, The Only Child is yet another enthralling novel from Nunn that will appeal to both new and long-time fans of her work.
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