Marian Dillon - The Lies Between Us

Every family has secrets … but some keep them better than others.

Eva has always felt like a disappointment in her mother’s eyes, but even more so now that she has failed her exams. She is working part-time while she studies for her resits, dreaming of when she can go to university, and get away from her family. Her mum, Kathleen, is drinking even more than usual these days, and the void between them is deepening.

They say you never get over your first love, and Kathleen knows that more than most. She met Rick when she was sixteen, and was swept away by his charm and charisma. But their romance stayed behind closed doors and, years on, Kathleen still bears the scars of what he put her through. And Eva has not been an easy child to love.

As Eva and Kathleen struggle to connect, will the very thing that drove them apart be the one thing that can finally bring them together?

Also available by Marian Dillon Book List Title Page Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher

Looking for Alex

The Lies Between Us

Marian Dillon

Copyright Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015

Copyright © Marian Dillon 2015

Marian Dillon asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © August 2015 ISBN: 9781474044851

Version date: 2018-09-19

MARIAN DILLON

Marian lives in Sheffield, and has been a writer since she was twenty-one. She has previously published several books for children and young adults, and in 2011 she completed the MA in Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. The Lies Between Us is her second full-length novel.

Marian is part of the Hallam Writers’ group, whose members meet regularly to exchange ideas and critique each other’s work. They also give readings at literary festivals.

As well as writing, Marian works as a counsellor. She is married, with two grown-up sons.

Thanks go to my writers’ group, the Hallam Writers, for all their support with this novel and to Janet Digby-Baker OBE, for her help with my research into mother and baby homes in the 1960s.

Dedicated to the memory of my brother, Peter, who always encouraged me to write

Contents

Cover

Blurb Every family has secrets … but some keep them better than others. Eva has always felt like a disappointment in her mother’s eyes, but even more so now that she has failed her exams. She is working part-time while she studies for her resits, dreaming of when she can go to university, and get away from her family. Her mum, Kathleen, is drinking even more than usual these days, and the void between them is deepening. They say you never get over your first love, and Kathleen knows that more than most. She met Rick when she was sixteen, and was swept away by his charm and charisma. But their romance stayed behind closed doors and, years on, Kathleen still bears the scars of what he put her through. And Eva has not been an easy child to love. As Eva and Kathleen struggle to connect, will the very thing that drove them apart be the one thing that can finally bring them together?

Book List Also available by Marian Dillon Book List Title Page Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher Looking for Alex

Title Page The Lies Between Us Marian Dillon

Copyright Copyright Copyright Author Bio Acknowledgement Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Excerpt Endpages About the Publisher HQ An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2015 Copyright © Marian Dillon 2015 Marian Dillon asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. E-book Edition © August 2015 ISBN: 9781474044851 Version date: 2018-09-19

Author Bio MARIAN DILLON Marian lives in Sheffield, and has been a writer since she was twenty-one. She has previously published several books for children and young adults, and in 2011 she completed the MA in Writing at Sheffield Hallam University. The Lies Between Us is her second full-length novel. Marian is part of the Hallam Writers’ group, whose members meet regularly to exchange ideas and critique each other’s work. They also give readings at literary festivals. As well as writing, Marian works as a counsellor. She is married, with two grown-up sons.

Acknowledgement Thanks go to my writers’ group, the Hallam Writers, for all their support with this novel and to Janet Digby-Baker OBE, for her help with my research into mother and baby homes in the 1960s.

Dedication Dedicated to the memory of my brother, Peter, who always encouraged me to write

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven