Publication Date: December 26, 2023
The Edgar-nominated, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Daughter and The Playground weaves a breathtaking tale of betrayal, family, and secrets from the past in this crackling novel of psychological suspense.
Two women. Two secrets. One terrible night.
PAXOS, GREECE
The vacation house is a luxurious getaway for a wealthy English family, windows open to sun and the sea, a sparkling swimming pool, and a verdant garden. One hot summer night, while the parents and their friends drink wine and amuse themselves, a young woman—the teenage daughter of the Greek caretaker—ventures for a walk on their private beach. Her life will never be the same again.
LONDON, ENGLAND, TEN YEARS LATER
Julia is the perfect spouse and mother. Slender, blonde, expensively dressed, she’s the classic “yummy mummy” of high society: cook, organizer, arm candy, and speechwriter to her influential husband.
But behind her winning smile is a stifled woman trapped in a gilded cage, stricken with anxiety and perfectionism. When Julia meets Laurel, a therapist who promises to help her find fulfillment, Julia opens herself up to the hope of a different future.
BOUND BY THE PAST
What happened in Greece all those years ago that binds these two women together? And will uncovering the truth destroy everything… or set them free?
Sometimes, revenge is best served cold or, in this case, two decades later. Author Jane Shemilt delivers a suspenseful thriller in The Vacation House.
The story unfolds with a dual storyline featuring a 13-year-old girl named Sofie in 2003, alternating with Julia in 2023. Their lives intersect in Greece, where Julia’s family has a vacation home maintained by Sofie’s family.
There’s a distinct difference between the pampered Londoners and the staff. Both Sofie and Julia suffer consequences from a fateful summer night, but the full ramifications don’t unfold until many years later.
The past/present timeline provides a solid foundation for the author to drop clues about the life-altering event while also introducing a number of twists and turns.
Ultimately, the story delivers a sense of hard-earned justice to both women, but it comes with a painful price.
The Vacation House serves as the backdrop for a powerful revenge plot packed with surprises.
While working full time as a physician, Jane Shemilt received an M.A. in creative writing. She was shortlisted for the Janklow and Nesbit award and the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize for The Daughter, her first novel. She and her husband, a professor of neurosurgery, have five children and live in Bristol, England.
