Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree
Two intertwined first-person narratives are set in the village where Annie spent a large part of her childhood. Her curiosity piqued by the strange reactions and outright hostility of some villagers, she becomes intrigued by the family story of a toddler who went missing in 1919 and how his sisters, rivals for the farm and for the heart of a soldier, fought to survive the aftermath of his disappearance: one driven by guilt and ambition, the other by duty and love. Drawn into an emotional minefield, Annie discovers that her own future is inextricably bound up in that of the village. It's about legacy and love, heritage, happiness and belonging.