linda lee welch

novels



 

The Artist of Eikando (Virago, 2004)


Junko Bayliss is a potter, famous for her exquisite designs. She is also the daughter of Diane and Peter Bayliss, her remote and elegant parents. When Diane and Peter both die, only a few minutes apart, at the age of 75, Junko is left to ponder the question marks that always hovered over her parents' lives, and why there was so little understanding between them and their only daughter. When her aunt hints at a mystery - something that happened to Diane and Peter during the Second World War, maybe in the Philippines, maybe in Japan - Junko decides to return to the place where her parents met, and hunt out their story. It is a journey that will lead her into dark, hidden secrets and an astonishing story of love and betrayal.


 “With her second novel, Linda Lee Welch establishes herself as a writer of immense sensitivity and grace. THE ARTIST OF EIKANDO is a beautiful and redemptive novel.”




The Leader of the Swans (Virago, 2003)

Born and raised in Texas, Susie fled to England as a young student, and has made it her home. Bringing up her beloved daughter Claire is a struggle, but these days it's not just the practical hardships that are wearing her out. The childhood she thought she had escaped is haunting her: memories of a fearsomely bitter, spiteful mother and a father whom she adored, and who betrayed her. Susie realises that in order to free herself from the past, she must learn to understand her parents - their hopes, their secrets, and their devastating disappointments. And so she sits down to write a letter to her father.

“Emotionally enriching and deeply compelling, The Leader of the Swans is a tour de force: a compassionate, spirited novel from a remarkable writer.”