Absent from the Photograph

AftP is the story of Claire Mitchell, who, in coming to terms with the losses of her past, hurts the people she cares most about.

A young wife and mother, she is socially isolated and postnatally depressed, and bitterly misses the countryside of her childhood. Unable to fend off his attentions, she has a one night stand with a neighbour and falls pregnant. A son is born fundamentally unable to communicate, mirroring Claire’s own suffocating silence (and that of those around her).

Years later, Claire’s daughter Cedar – the only person to show her brother any human compassion – prepares to fight an uncaring system on his behalf. It’s not until the boy dies that Claire is finally able to open up and find resolution.

The novel explores themes of communication, loneliness and belonging.

Image credit: abarothsworld.com