Buckeye | Patrick Ryan

In the small Ohio town of Bonhomie, Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt come together in a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe. Cal's wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: she is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those whom they've lost. Margaret's husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship; she will soon learn that he may have perished in a predawn attack in the Philippine Sea. But in a small town, nothing stays hidden forever, and the consequences of that encounter will ripple through the next generation of both families, compelling them to re-examine who they thought they were - and what the future might hold. Full of compassion, humour and charm, Buckeye is a dazzling portrait of an unforgettable community: of hopes and fears, loves and losses, the twisted roads we sometimes take to achieve forgiveness and redemption, and above all an indomitable longing for connection. 'Funny and tender ... Patrick Ryan has long been one of my favourite writers' ANN PATCHETT 'I love this novel with my entire heart ... Wise and heartbreaking' ANN NAPOLITANO

The novel everyone will be talking about this autumn: 'It soars' - Tom Hanks