It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
The Orphans

The Orphans

Summary

'Artful and beautifully ambiguous' Irish Independent

'Captivating and entertaining' RTE

Eight-year-old Jess and her little brother were playing at the water's edge when their parents vanished.

For hours the children held hands and waited for them to return. But nobody ever came back.

Years later, Jess has become a locker of doors. Now a lawyer and a mother, she is determined to protect the life she has built around her. But her brother Ro has grown unpredictable, elusive and obsessive.

When new evidence suggests that their mother might be alive, Ro reappears, convinced that his sister knows more than she claims.

And then bad things start to happen.

Reviews

  • Artful and beautifully ambiguous . . . the writing is excellent
    Irish Independent

About the author

Annemarie Neary

Annemarie Neary was born in Northern Ireland and educated at Trinity College Dublin, King's Inns and the Courtauld Institute. She lives in London. Annemarie's short fiction has won awards in the UK, US and Ireland.
Learn More

More from this Author

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more