Publication Date: August 11, 2026
What if throwing everything away gave you everything back?
Up in the attic, I sort through the boxes of old photos, broken airbeds and sun umbrellas. Why does my husband Giles refuse to throw anything away? Then my eyes fix upon a dusty stack of letters and a memory stabs at my chest. They’re all dated thirty years ago, but I’d recognise that handwriting anywhere, and seeing it again now makes my heart skip a beat…
Back in our bedroom, I force myself to get ready for my birthday meal. Giles’ friends – our friends – will no doubt arrive in designer dresses and expensive suits, but turning sixty has made me realise that things can’t make you happy. So maybe it’s time to see if the reverse is true…
Will throwing away all the possessions I was convinced I wanted free up space to see what really matters? How will it feel to be defined by who I am, rather than what I own – or who I’m married to? This is not how I thought my life would be when I left everything behind for Giles.
As I walk into my party wearing a perfectly rehearsed smile, I can’t stop thinking about the letters in the attic. So many words left unsaid. Is it too late to explain why I did what I did? And can I be trusted to do the right thing, even if it means destroying the life I’d fought so hard to build?
If the truth comes out I could lose everything. Or I could get everything back…
The Woman Who Threw Her Life Away is an emotional and gripping novel that is packed with family secrets. If you love Liane Moriarty or Diane Chamberlain, you won’t be able to put this down.
Regret hits at the most inopportune moment. For Cheryl, old letters spark reflections about past decisions.
Author Kerry Fisher serves up a poignant story in The Woman Who Threw Her Life Away. As a young woman, Cheryl straddles two worlds—a humble country hometown and a busy future in London.
To get that future, though, Cheryl must sacrifice two relationships, one of which could have led to a much different life. In confronting the past, she must confront secrets that have long been buried.
It was refreshing to have a cast of older characters, with the main character turning 60. Told through a present/past approach, readers see two paths separated by a single choice.
The Woman Who Threw Her Life Away illustrates a valuable lesson about second chances.
Kerry Fisher is a million-copy bestselling author. She writes women’s contemporary fiction, is a USA Today bestseller and her books have been translated into twelve languages. She was born in Peterborough, studied French and Italian at the University of Bath and spent several years living in Spain, Italy and Corsica. After returning to England to work as a journalist, she eventually abandoned real life stories for the secrets of fictional families. She lives in Surrey with her husband, and a naughty Lab/Schnauzer called Poppy, who joins in the huge dances of joy when her young adult children come home.
