The Voice

A daughter's vigil for her mother, and her lost childhood.

F Sharp

Masako is married to Freya's former boyfriend. The only other thing the two women have in common is the piano - though their experiences are worlds apart.

Nell Leyshon is an award-winning playwright -- most recently voted the Evening Standard's Newcomer of the Year -- with work broadcast on Radio 3 and Radio 4 and published by Oberon Books. She was brought up in Glastonbury and lives in Bournemouth. Her first novel, Black Dirt , is also published by Picador and was longlisted for the Orange Prize. Picador will publish her new novel, Devotion, in spring 2008.