Shyama, a forty-eight-year-old London divorcée, already has an unruly teenage daughter, but that doesn't stop her and her younger lover, Toby, from wanting a child together. Their relationship may look like a cliché, but despite the news from her doctor that she no longer has any viable eggs, Shyama's not ready to give up on their dream of having a baby. So they decide to find an Indian surrogate to carry their child, which is how they meet Mala, a young woman trapped in an oppressive marriage in a small Indian town from which she's desperate to escape. But as the pregnancy progresses, they discover that their simple arrangement may be far more complicated than it seems. In The House of Hidden Mothers, Meera Syal, an acclaimed British actress and accomplished novelist, takes on the timely but underexplored issue of India's booming surrogacy industry. Western couples pay a young woman to have their child and then fly home with a baby, an easy narrative that ignores the complex emotions involved in carrying a child. Syal turns this phenomenon into a compelling, thoughtful novel already hailed in the UK as "rumbustious, confrontational and ultimately heartbreaking . . . Turn[s] the standard British-Asian displacement narrative on its head" (The Guardian). Compulsively readable and with a winning voice, The House of Hidden Mothers deftly explores subjects of age, class, and the divide between East and West.

White Like Her: My Family’s Story of Race and Racial Passing is the story of Gail Lukasik’s mother’s “passing,” Gail’s struggle with the shame of her mother’s choice, and her subsequent journey of self-discovery and redemption. In the historical context of the Jim Crow South, Gail explores her mother’s decision to pass, how she hid her secret even from her own husband, and the price she paid for choosing whiteness. Haunted by her mother’s fear and shame, Gail embarks on a quest to uncover her mother’s racial lineage, tracing her family back to eighteenth-century colonial Louisiana. In coming to terms with her decision to publicly out her mother, Gail changed how she looks at race and heritage. With a foreword written by Kenyatta Berry, host of PBS's Genealogy Roadshow, this unique and fascinating story of coming to terms with oneself breaks down barriers.

Desire Lettie Hargreaves wants more than her simple, uncomplicated life with her grandmother can provide. She longs for excitement and love and she's determined to make something of herself. Deceit There is something about Lettie's mother that Ivy has kept hidden from her granddaughter, something that would shatter her world. So when Lettie suggests going into service for the ailing Lady Laughton, Ivy knows she must do something to stop it. Determination Feeling stifled and confused, Lettie chooses a different path that offers her the chance at love and of the life she so craves. But she is still the same strong-minded young woman and her ambition may do more harm than good as she is entirely unaware of the secrets her actions will uncover.

In the shadow of World War II, young Jack Miller's life is shattered when his mother disappears in Nazi-occupied Germany and his father is brutally murdered by soldiers. Forced to survive in a foreign land under the watchful eyes of those who caused his suffering, Jack endures eight long years before he can return home. Now eighteen, he embarks on a relentless quest to find his mother and uncover the truth behind his family's tragic past. As Jack delves deeper into the murky world of espionage and secret societies, he uncovers a vast conspiracy that stretches back to the war and beyond—a network of covert operations that manipulated global events and shattered countless lives. Guided by the cryptic legacy of his father and aided by a small group of trusted allies, Jack uncovers The Iron Veil, a powerful organization with ties to his mother's disappearance. But the closer Jack gets to the truth, the more dangerous his journey becomes. A new and sinister group, The Eclipsed Order, emerges from the shadows, seeking to exploit the chaos left by the war for their own gain. With the help of an enigmatic historian named Elias Winter, Jack must navigate a web of deception, betrayal, and hidden agendas to expose The Eclipsed Order's plans and bring those responsible for his family's suffering to justice. In a race against time, Jack uncovers the ultimate secret—a hidden vault containing the final revelations about his parents' involvement in the war and the global conspiracy that has shaped his life. As he confronts the mysteries of the past and the legacy of his family, Jack realizes that the fight for truth and justice is far from over. *Lost Mother: The Echoes of War* is a gripping mystery thriller that weaves together historical fiction, espionage, and the unbreakable bond of family. It's a story of courage, resilience, and the relentless pursuit of truth in a world where nothing is as it seems.

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.