Terry Wainwright

Small Cruelties Terry Wainwright

Small Cruelties - A gritty family saga of love, betrayal and the consequences of revenge.

An unexpected pregnancy, a secret child, an unimaginable loss and a decision that will haunt her for the rest of her days ...

As Portsmouth emerges from the shadow of WW2, young and innocent Rose meets charming womaniser Charlie and soon finds herself in the family way. Forced into a shotgun marriage by her meddling middle-class mother, Rose devotes her life to charismatic Charlie, binding him to her with her amazing cooking skills and ignoring his selfish ways.

But Rose, like her mother before her, is governed by the need to keep up appearances. So when her teenage daughter brings trouble to their door, a scandalised Rose cannot bear the shame. Whatever will the neighbours think? And, just when she thinks the storm is over, worse is to come, for Charlie has been hiding something - a family secret which threatens to rob Rose of everything she holds dear. Shaken to the core, Rose must make the biggest decision of her life....

A darkly comic family saga spanning 50 years, from post-war Britain to the turn of the new millennium, Small Cruelties chronicles the lives and loves of the irrepressible Symonds family.