Daughter

Daughter Synopsis

When a teenage girl goes missing her mother discovers she doesn't know her daughter as well as she thought in Jane Shemilt's haunting debut novel, Daughter. 'I don't know why. I still don't know why we had to check. Did we really think you would be there, curled up and sleeping on the stage? That we could wake you and that you would smile and stretch, sleepy and stiff, with some explanation about taking too long to change? That we would put our arms round you, and take you home?' Naomi has vanished, leaving her family broken and her mother Jenny desperately searching for answers. But the traces fifteen year-old Naomi's left behind reveal a very different girl to the one Jenny thought she'd raised. And the more she looks the more she learns that everyone she trusted has been keeping secrets. Who is the real Naomi? And will discovering the truth help to find her? Daughter by Jane Shemilt is an emotional and compelling story about how well you really know those you love most.

Daughter Reader Reviews

In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can read their full reviews here .

• Phylippa Smithson - 'If you love a book that you can't put down, brings heart-break and tears because the characters and situation in which they find themselves is so very credible, then Daughter is a must.' 
• Clair Chaytors - 'If you only read one book this year, make sure it’s this one...Daughter has to be the best book I have read this year and I only hope Jane has plans for more...' 
• Anne Rhodes - '...a mind numbing tale moving from present to recent past - how well do we know our children?...Altogether, a gripping story and an author to look out for in the future.'
• Alison Bisping - 'A must read this summer!...From the first page, Daughter had me completely captivated and is one of the best books I have read in quite a while.'
• Suzanne Marsh - 'What seems to be a simple abduction soon turns into something far more complex and baffling. Readers will love every page with lots of little twists that you do not know are coming.'
• Sue Burton - 'I have just finished this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.'
• Sallyann Spittle - 'Wow what a book...The way the plot unfurls keeps you on edge and I couldn’t put it down once I had started to read it.'
• Melanie Chadwick - 'It was an absorbing read and I was pleased with the tragic, unsettling and unexpected ending.'
• Andrea Dean - 'Jane Shemilt’s thoroughly readable novel, Daughter, takes you on an extremely emotional journey which every mother dreads.' 
• Rebecca Cockeram - 'Sadly this book didn't grab me.  There were elements of the story I loved, but I didn't like the main character and so I found it hard to care about her plight.' 
• Steven Daws - 'Daughter by Jane Shemilt is a beautifully crafted book that teases the reader with the details that it reveals...A thoroughly entertaining page turner that will both entertain and surprise you.'
• Cathy Burman - 'A compelling, heart-wrenching book, beautifully written.  You will not want to put it down, it is a real page turner...I am still thinking about it, the sign of an excellent read.' 
• Kim Haines - 'The ending of the book was totally unbelievable and I wouldn't recommend this book.'
• Karen Clark - 'This book will stay with you for a long time after you have read it...It is a long time since a book touched me as much as this one did, probably because what happens could happen to any family.'
• Kath Thornton - 'This is a haunting, complex and thrilling read. I just couldn’t put it down.'
• Freda Lopez - 'The story about how one girl's disappearance tore apart a whole family will keep you reading right until the end!'
• Sophia Ufton - 'This book was by far the most amazing, inspiring books I have read in a very long time.' 

Daughter Press Reviews

Complex and baffling. Jane Shemilt builds layer upon layer of tension in a novel you won't be able to put down  - TESS GERRITSEN

If you loved this, you might like these...

All versions of this book

ISBN: 9781405915298
Publication date: 28/08/2014
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Format: Paperback

Book Information

About Jane Shemilt

While working as a GP, Jane Shemilt completed a postgraduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol University and went on to study for the MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa, gaining both with distinction. She was shortlisted for the Janklow and Nesbit award and the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize for Daughter, which is her first novel. She and her husband, a Professor of Neurosurgery, have five children and live in Bristol.   Author photo © Philippa Gedge

More Books By Jane Shemilt