White Lies is the tenth novel by a long-established writer of contemporary women’s fiction. It’s a poignant tale which explores the joys and hazards of adoption, skilfully and movingly told from the perspectives of three women over half a century.
Beth is a guest at a wedding. The bride is Tess, her natural daughter, who’d been adopted as a baby. During the moments leading up to the marriage ceremony, Beth remembers the lifetime events that have led to her present state of sick fear. Recent revelations have made her suspect that the bridegroom is the first child she’d given up for adoption, and therefore Tess’s half-brother. Will she speak of this impediment to matrimony, as invited by the priest, or forever hold her peace?
White Lies gives the answer in a way that reveals the complexities of truth-telling in the context of parenthood and adoption. The reader’s sympathy is engaged with each woman in turn, as the intricacies of the plot demonstrate how nature and nurture interplay in the formation of personality.
Susan Barrett is an experienced writer of fact and fiction published by traditional publishers in hardback and paperback in UK and USA. She has also produced Kindle editions of her previously published novels, and self-published recent work.
