Rosie and Ruby

The bonds of family face the ultimate test in this novel of class divisions and buried secrets among three interrelated households. Together with her feckless, self-centered mother, Ruby lives one step away from poverty on a rundown estate in Manchester. In the quiet suburbs of Cheshire, Ruby's cousin Rosie leads a charmed, middle-class existence even as she feels suffocated by her own domineering mother. Then there is Olivia, a member of the elite Cheshire set, rattling around in her sprawling mansion, attending charity functions and hosting infamous bridge nights. Olivia's errant son Marcus lives his life in the fast lane, maximising the perks of the family firm, well away from the watchful eyes of his disapproving mother. When Ruby meets Marcus, her life begins to crumble and one by one the secrets she has kept are exposed. Can Rosie and Ruby's bond survive? And in Ruby's hour of need, will her cousin keep her promise, and come to her rescue? Rosie and Ruby was previously published under the title Three Mothers.