Second Self

The tender new novel from the author of WET PAINT

By: Chloe Ashby

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Paperback | 18 January 2024 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
320 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
12.8 x 19.8 x 2.2

Paperback

$31.99

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'Almost hypnotically perfect prose' Kate Sawyer

'A thoughtful, tender and delicate consideration of life's choices' Huma Qureshi

'Ashby handles her material lightly and atmospherically' Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

This absorbing second novel from the author of WET PAINT - about confronting expectations and learning to cope with the nagging, complex questions that shape a life - is perfect for fans of EXPECTATION and SORROW AND BLISS.

When Cathy and Noah first got together neither saw children in their future. Eight years later, they're happily married - and Cathy isn't so sure. With Noah's patience for his wife's ambivalence waning, her widowed mother in a world of her own and her best friend yearning for a second baby, Cathy feels increasingly adrift.

Escaping into her work in the conservation studios of the National Gallery, she chips away at the layers of overpaint on a canvas from the collection. Will the discovery of an unexpected truth help her find the clarity she craves?

READERS LOVE SECOND SELF

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'This book spoke to me like no other. Loved all the characters, big or small'

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I read this emotive and gripping novel over 48 hours - it's a beautifully written story and I recommend to anyone!'

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A gorgeous novel that pulled me straight out of my ongoing slow reading . . . pretty much read majority of it in one sitting!'

Industry Reviews

A precise and moving novel about expectation, ambivalence and desire. SECOND SELF unravels one of life's big questions and asks what happens when two people change separately as well as together. - Abigail Bergstrom, author of What a Shame

SECOND SELF is a novel about love, art, and those monumental, impossible life decisions. At times meditative, at times heartbreaking, but throughout compassionate and nuanced. A thoughtful, tender novel that will resonate with many thirty-somethings and is sure to spark many a discussion among its readers. - Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days

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