โA poignant page-turning story, beautifully writtenโ Leonora Nattrass, author of Blue Water
โHugely evocative and beautifully writtenโ Anna Mazzola, author of The Clockwork Girl
โPolly Crosbyโs writing is exquisite and this latest book is every bit as evocative as her previous novelsโ My Weekly Top pick of the month May 2023
โA thoroughly compelling mystery meets a poignant love story, all wrapped up in beautifully lyrical writingโ Frances Quinn, author of The Smallest Man
โA beguiling mystery from a gifted storytellerโ Louise Fein, author of People Like Us
1938: Lady Vita Goldsborough lives in the menacing shadow of her controlling older brother, Aubrey. But when she meets local artist Dodie Blakeney, the two women form a close bond, and Vita finally glimpses a chance to be free.
1997: Following the death of her mother, Eve Blakeney returns to the coast where she spent childhood summers with her beloved grandmother, Dodie. Eve hopes that the visit will help make sense of her grief. The last thing she expects to find is a bundle of letters that hint at the heart-breaking story of Dodieโs relationship with a woman named Vita, and a shattering secret that echoes through the decades.
What she discovers will overturn everything she thought she knew about her family โ and change her life forever.
โLuminous and captivating ... Polly Crosbyโs shimmering writing veils a dark hint of the gothicโ Kate Griffin, author of Fyneshade
What readers are saying about Vita and the Birds'A beautiful and haunting tale of family, love, control and connections. This book and its characters will stay with me for a long time' Netgalley reviewer
'A lush and evocative novel of loss and forbidden love' Netgalley reviewer
'Beautifully written, a dark and moody yet intriguing story' Netgalley reviewer
'An extraordinary book that I read in a 4 hour straight session without stopping for food or drink . . . A spellbinding read' Netgalley reviewer
Polly Crosby grew up on the Suffolk coast, and now lives with her husband and son in the heart of Norfolk.
In 2018, Polly won Curtis Brown Creativeโs Yesterday Scholarship, which enabled her to finish her debut novel, The Illustrated Child. Later the same year, it was awarded runner-up in the Bridport Prizeโs Peggy Chapman Andrews Award for a First Novel. Polly received the Annabel Abbs Creative Writing Scholarship at the University of East Anglia. Her new novel, Vita and the Birds, is out in May 2023.