Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage – after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now in her eighties, she finds it easier to forget the life that came before. Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her London flat to keep an eye on her as she recovers from a fall.

A memory is sparked, and the past crackles into life as Damian listens to the story Frankie has kept stored away all these years. From post-war Ireland to the dazzling art scene of 1960s New York, Frankie shares a world in which friendships and chance encounters collide. A place where life blazes with an intensity that can’t last but will perhaps live on in other ways and in other people.

‘Immersive, stunningly written and very emotional – this is a triumph’ JENNIE GODFREY, author of The List of Suspicious Things

‘Warm and wise, Frankie is a woman worth getting to know’ BONNIE GARMUS, author of Lessons in Chemistry

‘I couldn’t stop reading it, but feel bereft now that I’ve finished’ NIGELLA LAWSON

‘A warm, deeply moving, life-enhancing novel’ SARAH WINMAN, author of Still Life