The Lie

(Paperback)

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Joan, once a singing star of the 1940s and 1950s, now ekes out a lonely, impoverished existence until a chance encounter promises a come-back concert and an album. Her sister Kathleen is a successful medical researcher who has been offered the directorship of a prestige institute in Los Angeles in her retirement but is facing divorce after her husband's affair. In their old age, Joan and Kathleen draw closer together. Until a figure from Joans past threatens everything they've built. As the sisters excavate the lies that bound them together, a more profound truth threatens to drive them apart. Set in three time frames, the novel unravels the sisters lives as choices past and present collide.

Reviews

Praise for The Hidden:

A powerful and raw, elegantly written, character piece dealing with inhumanity and endurance, firmly grounded in real events. Herald

Recent novels such asThe Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Societyhave taken the occupation as their subject, but none so potently as Mary Chamberlains The Hidden.Sunday Times

A heart-breaking yet hope-filled tale. Woman's Own magazine

'I galloped through this beautifully written epic tale, unable to put it down. The Lie is full of tension and twists, but it's also a poignant portrait of what it means to be a mother. We follow the plights of two sisters from WW2 until the 2000s, very different women, both struggling to survive in a world that refuses or begrudges them power and agency because of their sex. The Lie is a fascinating look at womens evolving role in history, and an emotional, heart-stopping read.' Saskia Sarginson, author of The Twins

'In The Lie,Mary Chamberlain expertly weaves together the different timelines, whilst simultaneously unpicking the nature of womens relationships. Chamberlain is a brilliant storyteller and this tightly-plotted tale of tough choices and hard truths doesnt disappoint.' Sonia Velton, author of Blackberry and Wild Rose

'A gripping, absorbing mystery about the true meaning of family, and a fascinating exploration into the huge social changes that impacted ordinary lives, particularly those of women, during the 20^thcentury.'Sarah Day, author of Mussolini's Island

Author Bio

Mary Chamberlainis a novelist and historian. Her debut novel,The Dressmaker of Dachau, was published in 18 countries. She is the author of non-fiction books on womens history and Caribbean history, includingFenwomen, the first book published by Virago Press. She lives in London with her husband, the political theorist Stein Ringen.