A brilliant debut reaching from the picturesque South Coast of NSW to the cloisters of Cambridge, following two young women's lives as they become entwined in ways neither could have expected. Exploring motherhood, class, social justice, love and identity, it is told with wit and empathy - perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty.
For Ava, heading to university in the city is her escape from a poverty-stricken upbringing in a tiny coastal town. Her mother deserted the family when she was a baby, leaving her with a chronically ill father who was able to provide love but little else.
On the other side of the world, Laurie tolerates university only at the urging of her father, a celebrated professor of Marxist thought. Her mother died in childbirth, and Laurie feels boxed in by her father's expectations. She dreams of freedom, far from the Cambridge cloisters.
It is within these college grounds that Ava and Laurie cross paths. They could not be more different, and yet as each grapple with the lasting effects of losing a mother, their lives become entwined in ways neither could have expected.
Ava pursues academic success and security through a marriage that catapults her into the British establishment. But will her obsession with leaving the past behind drive her to do something unthinkable? Meanwhile, rebellious Laurie forgoes academia and decides to have a baby on her own—but she could never have predicted the shock that is coming.
Alison Edwards' brilliant novel Two Daughters explores motherhood, family, class, social justice, love and identity with a large dose of wit, the occasional detour into darkness, but always with the heartbeat of hope.
