“The baby is slippery in her grasp, he is puffing and writhing with anxiety, with hunger, she wants nothing more than to lie down, to apologise to Ted, to have this breast drained of its sore, scalding milk, for someone to bring her a drink of water, for someone to tell her it’s going to be alright. The baby is staring at her breast, hesitatin, then his gums clamp down firmly and Elina’s whole body curls with the pain of it. He seems to think for another few seconds and then, at last, he begins to suck, with the absorbed air of someone getting down to business, his eyes moving back and forth, as if reading invisible text in the air.

Diane – I’m eager to read more of her work!

Megan – thanks for the recommendation. I was gravitating toward ESME LENNOX, but will look up AFTER YOU’D GONE as well..

Steph – “filled with longing” – exactly! In one passage, Elina says she tried to talk with Ted about what she was feeling; then he was also ‘lost’ and with a longing …

Beth F – again, I’m envious of your travel! I’ve only connected thru Heathrow, never ventured out of the airport

Literate Housewife – what a nice compliment to the designer, that it made you smile before you even began reading.

nicole – everyone seems struck by the cover!

iliana – “so many books, so little time” … I understand.

zibilee – you and I tend to gravitate to similar books; youll like THE HAND THAT FIRST HELD MINE

SuziQ – I understand what you mean about waiting for the hype to die down. This just came out, so the library wait may give you that time.