The Lauras

''A writer of real gravitas and potency.'' Ali Smith

''An extraordinary journey ... Engrossing, original and eloquent.'' Helen Dunmore

''Elegiac and beautifully observed.'' Observer

''Vivid and captivating.'' Stylist

I didn’t realise my mother was a person until I was thirteen years old and she pulled me out of bed, put me in the back of her car, and we left home and my dad with no explanations. I thought that Ma was all that she was and all that she had ever wanted to be. I was wrong...

As Ma and Alex make their way from Virginia to California, each new state prompts stories and secrets of a life before Alex. Together they put to rest unsettled scores, heal old wounds, and search out lost friends. But Alex can''t forget the life they''ve left behind.