Frank Monro is dying all over again.
Having believed her beloved, unreliable dad died decades previously, Fran Peterson now receives a letter revealing otherwise.
Meanwhile others in Fran's life are sustaining injury. Alec plays snooker religiously to fend off his helplessness as he desperately tries to piece his wife back together. Her young colleague, Will, chases after a hope of love that seems insubstantial as air. Muriel, efficient and isolated, finds her well-ordered world beginning to unravel.
An interior, moving novel about a woman struggling to come to terms with the fault lines in her past, "The Kind Darkness of Trees" explores themes of loss, dissociation, faith and forgiveness with a gentle intensity.
Autorentext
Valerie Adam Freeman (née Stephen) grew up in East Kilbride, Scotland, before attending Dundee University from 1988-92. In 2015, inspired by Julia Cameron's "The Artist's Way", she rediscovered her love for writing fiction and over the next two years delivered "The Kind Darkness of Trees". Valerie lives and works in South London with her husband, Daniel. She is passionate about looking after the environment and has a deep, inclusive Christian faith, reflected in her love of retreats and interest in contemplative spirituality. She enjoys eating with loved ones, sharing creativity as a way of knowing one another in community and walking amongst giant pine trees.