Pre-Order SHY CREATURES: the unforgettable new novel about love, family and freedom from award-winning author of SMALL PLEASURES, Clare ChambersCOMING AUGUST 2024***A BEAUTIFUL HARDBACK SPECIAL EDITION, FEATURING RECIPES AND AN EXCLUSIVE Q&A WITH THE AUTHORTHE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE BOOK LOVER IN YOUR LIFELONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONA BBC 2 'BETWEEN THE COVERS' BOOK CLUB PICK'Wonderful' RICHARD OSMAN'Perfect' INDIA KNIGHT 'Beautiful' JESSIE BURTON 'Witty and sharp' DAVID NICHOLLS1957, the suburbs of south east London.Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelihood of escape.When a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud.As the investigation turns her quiet life inside out, Jean is suddenly given an unexpected chance at friendship, love and - possibly - happiness. 'Gorgeous . . . I could not recommend it more' PANDORA SYKES 'Remarkable . . . Small Pleasures is no small pleasure' THE TIMES 'Irresistible . . . wry, perceptive and quietly devastating' MAIL ON SUNDAY