The Clematis Tree

Mark and Claire seem an ideal couple. He is an accountant, she the daughter of a successful businessman. They live in a comfortable middle-class village in Surrey. Then, during a party for their daughter Pippa s baptism, their son Jeremy is knocked down on the road outside. It is their worst nightmare, something they thought could never happen, and the consequences will affect each one of them more than they could possibly imagine. What is Claire s guilty secret, and can her wealthy, self-made father help Will Mark, desperate to escape, have the nerve to leave And how will Pippa be affected by the turmoil that began on the day of her own christening

The once ideal marriage is troubled by the stress, the pressure caused by Jeremy s state of health. But is Jeremy the glue that holds the marriage together, however tenuously

“You want to go on reading, you want to know what happens, it isn't easy to put down-- Sunday Times”

Ambitious SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

She has crafted a compelling story about the way a family copes with a catastrophe. The isolation ofthe parents within an apparently loving family is acutely observed

-- Bel Mooney THE TIMES
A delight, a very polished read CATHOLIC HERALD
An accomplished first novel TATLER

Tory MP for Maidstone. In John Major's Government she was Home Office Minister under Michael Howard. Shadow Home Secretary 1997-2001. Unmarried and a Roman Catholic convert. Has been writing since at school where she won essay prizes. Now writing third novel.

Mark and Claire seem an ideal couple. He is an accountant, she the daughter of a successful businessman. They live in a comfortable middle-class village in Surrey. Then, during a party for their daughter Pippa s baptism, their son Jeremy is knocked down on the road outside. It is their worst nightmare, something they thought could never happen, and the consequences will affect each one of them more than they could possibly imagine. What is Claire s guilty secret, and can her wealthy, self-made father help Will Mark, desperate to escape, have the nerve to leave And how will Pippa be affected by the turmoil that began on the day of her own christening The once ideal marriage is troubled by the stress, the pressure caused by Jeremy s state of health. But is Jeremy the glue that holds the marriage together, however tenuously

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.