The Long Journey Home

A moving and powerful novel of love, secrets and redemption in a country torn apart by war. For readers of Kate Furnivall and Dinah Jefferies.

It's 1941 and Kate is living in Rangoon, Burma. A world away from her traditional English upbringing, she is bewitched by the country and the kindness of the Burmese people. When Edwin, a young teacher from London, starts working in the government office with her, a friendship develops between them. But Kate can sense that Edwin has secrets and is looking for a place to call home - something she shares.

As their bond grows, Kate begins to understand Edwin's past and the tragic events that brought them both to Burma. But war is coming and, when the Japanese invade, Kate and Edwin are forced to flee, along with thousands of others. They begin a perilous journey to India but soon become separated. As Kate continues alone, she can't get the troubled young man she has come to care so deeply for out of her head.

With the fallout of war all around them, in a place far from home, will Kate and Edwin survive their journey and find the new beginning they both seek?

The Long Journey Home is the winner of the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize, Best Unpublished Manuscript Award.

About the Author

Cecily Blench grew up in Herefordshire and studied English Literature at the University of York. She worked for an independent publisher for several years and is now a freelance writer and editor. The Long Journey Home is her first novel.