>
GHOSTWRITTEN
ISABEL WOLFF
‘An engaging read and an intriguing page-turner.’
Sainsbury’s Magazine
‘Deftly blends past and present, romance and mystery, and a theme of forgiveness and redemption …’
Huffington Post
‘Isabel Wolff is a wonderful writer who weaves humour and pathos to great effect.’
Wendy Holden, Daily Mail
‘Intriguing and tugs at the heartstrings.’
Katie Fforde
‘An intelligent and deeply romantic tale. I loved it.’
Lisa Jewell
In memory of my mother
Table of Contents
The past is never dead. It isn’t even past.
William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun
31 August 1987
Holidaymakers speckle the beach, reclining behind brightly striped windbreaks, hands held to eyes against the late afternoon sun as they gaze at the glittering sea. On the horizon squats a huge grey tanker; in the middle distance a scattering of white-sailed yachts, their spinnakers billowed and taut. At the shoreline a young couple in surfing gear are launching a yellow canoe. He holds it while she climbs in, then he jumps on and they paddle away, the boat rocking and bumping through the swell. Two little girls in pink swimsuits stop paddling for a moment to watch them then dash in and out of the water, shrieking with laughter. Behind them, a family is playing French cricket. The ball soars towards the rocks, pursued by a dog, barking wildly, its claws driving up
