Sian Thomas

Since You Went Away Sian Thomas

A poignant story of family relationships and the cycle of life, what makes people the way they are and the tensions this creates. Maisie Wilton, a middle-aged foster mother, writes to her estranged sister Ruth to let her know that their mother has died. Impulsive Ruth, who has never seen quite eye to eye with Maisie, left her husband and two teenage children for her Argentinian lover ten years ago and has not been in touch since. Maisie's letter sparks an ongoing correspondence in which Maisie not only recounts the story of their mother's deteriorating health and her death, but through which the sisters gradually begin to understand something of each other and realise that there is no "right" or "wrong" way of viewing a situation, particularly where family relationships are concerned. There are astonishing revelations on both sides, but ultimately there is understanding and renewed closeness.