Evie Gardner is struggling to cope with motherhood. Deserted by her own mother as a young child, Evie has a strained relationship with her French stepmother Francine. With an increasingly distant partner, an ineffectual father and a sister whose life seems to be perfect, Evie is thrown into a world of alien routines, confusion and fear.Support comes from an unexpected source but when Evie is forced to turn to Francine for help, she has to reveal a closely guarded secret.The Place Where Love Should Be explores the many faces of motherhood, the crippling impact of past events upon the present and the damaging effect of truths left unsaid. With compassion and insight, it delicately unravels the intricacies that not only bind a family together but can also pull it apart.

Elizabeth Ellis grew up in Hertfordshire, has lived in various corners of England and spent several years in France. She has worked in many areas of education and now runs a community writing group and art gallery. She is also the author of Living with Strangers (Matador 2014).