For fans of Jodi Picoult and If Only I Could Tell You, Penny Hancock's The Choice is an engrossing, thought-provoking novel about family secrets and the way that even the smallest decisions can sometimes have far-reaching consequences.

‘Emotional and thought-provoking’ – Jenny Quintana, author of The Hiding Place

An estranged daughter.
Renee Gulliver appears to have it all: a beautiful house overlooking a scenic estuary on England’s East Coast, a successful career as a relationship therapist, three grown-up children, and a beloved grandson, Xavier.

A missing grandson.
But then Xavier vanishes after Renee fails to pick him up from school, and the repercussions are manifold.

A mother faced with an impossible choice.
Renee is wracked with remorse; the local community question her priorities, clients abandon her; and, as long-held grievances surface, her daughter Mia offers her a heartbreaking ultimatum.

Amid recriminations, misunderstandings and lies, can Renee find a way to reunite her family?

‘A real tour de force’ – Kate Rhodes, author of the Locked-Island mysteries

‘Gut-wrenching’ – Woman's Own

A perfect evocation of the complex modern family . . . I found myself holding my breath while reading it, hoping that Xavier would be found unhurt, and identifying with the beautifully drawn characters, as past mistakes come home to roost . . . A real tour de force -- Kate Rhodes
A hugely readable, carefully perceptive story of family dynamics tough and tender. Rife with entrenched positions, assumptions and gut-wrenching mistakes, it is ultimately loving and redemptive -- Louise Foxcroft
The Choice is an emotional and thought-provoking novel which explores the nature of love and guilt, and the impact of the decisions we make on others and ourselves, through compelling characters and sensitive and absorbing prose -- Jenny Quintana
A gut-wrenching story about the power of our decisions * Woman's Own *
A brilliantly woven story around issues that so many women know only too well - Julia Crouch, author of The New Mother
Beautifully written, thought-provoking, and brimming with powerful and recognisable emotions, Hancock’s superbly wrought story speaks straight from the heart * Blackpool Gazette *
A compelling story of forgiveness and redemption. Powerful, moving, and beautifully written -- Susan Elliot Wright

Penny Hancock was born in London. She is the author of internationally bestselling novels and writes articles and short stories on family psychology for the national press. Penny divides her time between a village outside Cambridge and her children and grandchildren in London. The Choice is her fifth novel.