Gillian White: 30 books

Moving house links many lives—and sets off an unexpected series of events—in this compelling tale from “a novelist of the highest quality” (The Independent on Sunday).   What makes a house a home are the stories of the people who live there. And for the briefest of moments—when a house...

Desperate for a new life, a London woman engineers a cunning deception “in this tangled tale that twists and turns up to the very end” (Booklist).   Angela Harper’s life has never been simple. She’s an orphan who spent her childhood in foster homes. Her handsome, charming husband Billy...

One secret can bury an entire family forever . . . Desmond is a man ill equipped for today’s world. He is reclusive and unsocial, traits exacerbated by his domineering mother. As a result, Desmond is at his happiest when he’s absolutely alone. During a birdwatching outing along the Devon...

In this dark comedy, five siblings who are fed up with their mother’s negligent parenting conspire to teach her a lesson Caroline Townsend is a nightmare for her children. The former actress and current alcoholic hits her nadir on Christmas Eve. Her five young children hope for a Christmas...

Gillian White argues that the poetry wars among critics and practitioners are shaped by “lyric shame”—an unspoken but pervasive embarrassment over what poetry is, should be, and fails to be. “Lyric” is less a specific genre than a way to project subjectivity onto poems—an idealized poem that is nowhere and yet everywhere.

Three chilling novels of psychological suspense from “a novelist of the highest quality” (The Independent on Sunday).   Copycat: Martha’s new neighbor, Jennie, seems to love everything about her: her beautiful house, impressive children, attractive husband, even the way she dresses. It’s...

Jessica’s scheme was supposed to get her a new baby—but she didn’t count on getting an entire family Jessica was living the perfect London life, with a great job at an auction house and a striking Italian boyfriend, Rudi. Only one thing was missing: a baby. Despite numerous visits to...

“Grabs you by the throat and won't let go.” —Woman’s Journal During their thirty years of marriage, Rose Redfern has confided everything (well, nearly everything) to Michael, and is certain that he would never hide anything from her. That’s why it’s such a shock when, shortly before...

Money changes everything in this darkly comic tale of romantic revenge When shy, insecure Liverpudlian Ellie Freeman unexpectedly wins more than a million pounds in the football betting pools, she sees it as a way to transform the life of her bitter, frustrated, and, above all, distant husband...

Does true evil exist in the world? Are people really what they seem? Abandoned by each of her children’s fathers, Shelley Tremayne’s having a tough time raising six kids alone. When she sees a TV newscast about five boys committing a horrible crime and recognizes her eleven-year-old son...

When three village women each make a wish on a local artifact, their desires come true in unexpected ways The Plague Stone squats at the center of the seemingly tranquil village of Meadcombe, haunted by legends of black magic. One night, three Meadcombe women each make a wish. Widowed Marian...

In the calm village of Middlehempston, a former social worker’s past comes back to haunt her Jem loved her job. She was a social worker, and she always took care of her cases. One boy, Fergus, took to her instantly. From the age of eight, when his mother died and he landed at the social services...

It’s not just writing, it’s witchcraft . . . Kirsty flees her brutally abusive husband, Trevor, to take a job as a maid at the Burleston Hotel in Cornwall. She befriends two other new employees at the Burleston: overweight Avril, whose ego is crushed by her domineering family, and pretty,...

One woman’s harmful past comes back to haunt her, despite her best efforts to leave it behind When Molly Tarrent was boarding at the Farendon School, she made her share of mistakes. One included forming a witch-band with her friend, Erica. Together, they would practice their profane rites...