Penny’s newest book The Choice, is out now with Mantle
When Renee Gulliver fails to pick up her beloved grandson from school and he vanishes, she isn’t only wracked with guilt, but she cannot confess to where she was when she should have been at the school gates.
As her daughter gives her a terrible ultimatum, the family is forced to recognise that choices we make have long reaching repercussions. Set on an island off the Essex coast that can be cut off at high tide, The Choice examines themes of family estrangement and how difficult it can be to escape labels given us as children. It is described by Woman’s Own as ‘a gut-wrenching read‘ and by Pam North as ‘a compelling, complex and exquisitely imagined family drama.’
… a gripping yarn, but beautifully written too, and Hancock is brilliant on the minutiae of family dynamics
Anne Cunningham, Meath Chronicles, Ireland
Find Penny’s Books on Amazon
Read more about Penny and her books
Penny Hancock is also the author of novels Tideline, (a Richard and Judy Bookclub pick in 2012), The Darkening Hour, A Trick of the Mind and I Thought I Knew You. She has also written widely on family and relationships for mainstream media including the Guardian, the Times, the Independent, and Psychologies magazine and has published several short stories.
I Thought I Knew You wins East Anglian Novel of the Year award 2019.
Published by Mantle (an imprint of Pan Macmillan) I Thought I knew You is the story of the repercussions on two families of a shocking rape allegation. The novel asks how well we really know the people we love .
Penny says:
I Thought I Knew You is a contemporary family drama. I wanted to explore how someone who campaigns for rape allegations to be believed at all costs, would react if a member of her own family were accused. How do we behave when we are forced to ask how well we know our own children? And how do we feel when our friends are not who we thought they were? I Thought I Knew You is set in a small community in the Fens, and in London, places close to my heart.
‘Relationships so real I can’t believe they’re not still continuing somewhere…Utterly brilliant’ Lisa Jewell best selling author of Ralphs’ Party and I found You.
A qualified teacher, Penny has taught from early primary to post graduate, and has recently been the Royal Literary Fellow at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.
Penny is passionate about encouraging and teaching new writers. Do have a look at her Writing School page for information on her courses and mentoring schemes.
In addition to writing, Penny enjoys reading, psychology, swimming (the colder the water the better!) and bread making. She has three grown up children and lives just outside Cambridge.
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