Description

*WINNER OF THE WRITERS’ PRIZE – BOOK OF THE YEAR*

Inspired by a true story, The Home Child is a beautiful novel-in-verse about a child far from home

‘Ground-breaking’ Benjamin Zephaniah
‘Beautifully crafted’ Guardian
‘Extraordinary’ Hannah Lowe

In 1908, Eliza Showell, twelve years old and newly orphaned, boards a ship that will carry her from the slums of the Black Country to rural Nova Scotia. She will never return or see her family again.

With nothing to call her own, the wild beauty of her surroundings is the only solace Eliza has – until another Home Child, a boy, arrives at the farm and changes everything.

Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry’s great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home.

‘One of the outstanding books of this year. Although this is a historical tale its resonance is timeless’ Sunday Times

‘Deeply moving. A graceful, delicate book, stunning in its emotional depth… I know I’ll return to it many times in the future’ Megan Hunter, author of The End We Start From

Publisher Review

One of the outstanding books of this year... Although this is a historical tale its resonance is timeless * Sunday Times * A story that is not only heartbreaking but also, essentially, true ... [The Home Child] is a profound act of witness to a long injustice, and a beautifully crafted conjuring of a life lived as truly as possible * Guardian, Book of the Day * Berry's novel in verse is based on an aunt she never met... It's vivid, compassionate and, a century after her forced migration, makes little Eliza Showell's voice heard at last * Financial Times, *Summer Reads of 2023* * Liz Berry has given the world another ground-breaking collection of poems. These verses are sensitive and tender, yet the language is real and unflinching * Benjamin Zephaniah * An extraordinary work of imagination . . . Poetic virtuosity is combined with novelistic story-telling as we follow the unfolding fate of Eliza Showell . . . An exquisite book * Hannah Lowe *