Description:

When nineteen year old Davey finds himself drunk, beaten and alone, he is rescued by the oddly-assorted inhabitants of an abandoned and beautiful house in the West Country. Their only condition for letting him join them is that he asks them no questions. More than thirty years ago in that same house, burned-out rock star Jack Laker writes a ground-breaking comeback album, and abandons the girl who saved his life to embark on a doomed and passionate romance with a young actress. His attempt to escape his destructive lifestyle leads to deceit, debauchery and even murder. As Davey and his fellow housemate Priss try to uncover the secrets of the house's inhabitants, both past and present, it becomes clear that the five strangers have all been drawn there by the events and the music of that long-ago summer. ‘The story is fresh and original, written vividly and with flair. I was completely engrossed!’ Katherine Webb, international best-selling author ‘A tangle of tales about love and power and self… Flitting between the present and what came before, the lives of many collide in the shell of Jack's Lander's mansion… a beautiful Gatsby-esque touch. A fascinating tale of the meeting of lost souls. Of danger, and trust and self-worth. Read it.’ Jen Campbell, author of Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops ‘This is Parkin's debut novel and what a stunning debut it is. First off, it is a great mystery. The pacing is just right, with discoveries in both time periods coinciding and working together to keep any reader involved with the stories. But what I look for in any novel of any genre is characters. And Parkin definitely has characters... The storyline is original, the characters are fascinating, and over all this is simply a great read.’ The Bookbag ‘It is not your typical light beach read, but I wouldn't wait until the Summer's end to reach for it. The characters grabbed my heart, the story pulled me in and I sailed through the pages picturing myself in the house, peeking around the corners, listening in on the conversations. If you like stories of internal conflict, coming of age and things falling into their place, no matter how unexpected, you should put Cassandra Parkin's debut novel on your To-Read list.’ Women’s World ** ### Review 'The story is fresh and original, written vividly and with flair. I was completely engrossed!' -- Katherine Webb International Best-selling author 'A tangle of tales about love and power and self... Flitting between the present and what came before, the lives of many collide in the shell of Jack's Lander's mansion... a beautiful Gatsby-esque touch. A fascinating tale of the meeting of lost souls. Of danger, and trust and self-worth. Read it.' -- Jen Campbell author of Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops It is not your typical light beach read, but I wouldn't wait until the Summer's end to reach for it. The characters grabbed my heart, the story pulled me in and I sailed through the pages picturing myself in the house, peeking around the corners, listening in on the conversations. If you like stories of internal conflict, coming of age and things falling into their place, no matter how unexpected, you should put Cassandra Parkin's debut novel on your To-Read list. -- Women's World This is Parkin's debut novel and what a stunning debut it is. First off, it is a great mystery. The pacing is just right, with discoveries in both time periods coinciding and working together to keep any reader involved with the stories. But what I look for in any novel of any genre is characters. And Parkin definitely has characters... The storyline is original, the characters are fascinating, and over all this is simply a great read. The Bookbag 'a beautiful characters and flowing almost poetic prose' -- Liz Loves Books 'a very atmospheric read, full of wist and... told in a masterful style.' -- Rush Hour Reads 'I am obsessed with the pacing of this book; Parkin gives us just enough information to satisfy, while upping the must-find-out-more factor. I couldn't put this one down!' -- Pursuit of Good Reads 'The characters were really well written with all their hidden complexities and you will really feel for them and want them to find happiness.' -- Laura's Little Book Blog 'one of the best books I've read this summer!' -- Helena's Blog ### About the Author Cassandra Parkin grew up in Hull, and now lives in East Yorkshire. Her short story collection, New World Fairy Tales (Salt Publishing, 2011), won the 2011 Scott Prize for Short Stories. Her work has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. The Summer We All Ran Away was Cassandra's debut novel.