Winner of the 2020 First Pages Prize: - Sebastian Faulks, judge: "I was transported to an unfamiliar setting and wanted to go on reading...."

When two worlds collide...

An exiled immigrant. A determined daughter. A secret that demands to be told...but are the stakes set too high?

Gabrijela yearns to escape the confines of post-war Croatia and her tiny fishing community, but never imagines her choices will see her exiled to New Zealand - a new immigrant sent to housekeep for the mysterious and surly Roko, clutching a secret she dare not reveal.

Thirty years on, her daughter, Luisa, hell-bent on unpicking the family’s past, departs on her own covert quest to visit her estranged relatives on Korčula. But not all decisions are equal, and amid Yugoslavia’s brewing civil unrest, Luisa's backpacking journey confronts her with culture shocks and dark encounters of her own.

Can one life-changing moment right the wrongs of the past?

The Telling Time is P.J. McKay’s award-winning debut novel, which spent 10 weeks on the top 10 fiction list. If you love vividly drawn historical novels full of heart and with characters you won’t want to leave behind, then you’ll love this pause-resisting mily saga. Perfect for book clubs and lovers of Jo Jo Moyes and Kristin Hannah.

Purchase your copy today to unlock Gabrijela’s secret!