The Home Child

<b>Inspired by a true story, a beautiful novel-in-verse about a child far from home. From award-winning poet Liz Berry.<br><br>*WINNER OF THE WRITERS'' PRIZE - BOOK OF THE YEAR*<br>*WINNER OF THE WRITERS'' PRIZE FOR POETRY*</b><br><br>''A <b>profound act of witness</b> to a long injustice, and a <b>beautifully crafted conjuring of a life lived as truly as possible</b>'' <b><i>Guardian </i>''Book of the Day''</b><br><b>''Ground-breaking'' Benjamin Zephaniah<br>''Exquisite'' Hannah Lowe</b>, author of <i>The Kids</i><br><br><b>''<i>Home''s not a place, you must believe this,</i></b><br><b><i>but one who names you and means </i>beloved<i>.</i>''</b><br><br>In 1908, Eliza Showell, twelve years old and newly orphaned, boards a ship that will carry her from the slums of the Black Country to rural Nova Scotia. She will never return to Britain or see her family again. She is a Home Child, one of thousands of British children sent to Canada to work as indentured farm labourers and domestic servants.<br><br>In Nova Scotia, Eliza''s world becomes a place where ordinary things are transfigured into treasures - a red ribbon, the feel of a foal''s mane, the sound of her name on someone else''s lips. With nothing to call her own, the wild beauty of Cape Breton is the only solace Eliza has - until another Home Child, a boy, comes to the farm and changes everything.<br><br>Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry''s great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home.<br><br>''<b>Vivid, compassionate </b>and makes Eliza Showell''s voice <b>heard at last</b>'' <b><i>Financial Times </i>*Best Poetry Books of summer 2023*<br><br>''</b>A <b>haunting, deeply compelling</b> narrative<b>'' Andrew McMillan</b>, author of <i>physical</i><br><br><b><i>''</i>Only Liz Berry </b>could write such<b> raw and staggeringly beautiful </b>poems<b>'' Fiona Benson</b>, author of <i>Vertigo & Ghost</i>