top of page
head-of-zeus-hoz-300x300.jpg

Part psychological thriller, part coming-of-age novel from the author of People of Abandoned Character.


An absent father. A missing girl. Buried family secrets. Is the truth worth searching for?

Sixteen-year-old Prue has grown up around secrets. Her gran's stern silence, her mother's teary breakdowns, her aunt's whispered assurances. But now, in the aftermath of her mum's latest 'episode', Prue's decided she's old enough for the truth. She wants to know what it is that makes the adults around her turn tight-lipped and distracted. She wants to know why her mum can't cope. Most of all, she wants to know who her dad is.

Forced to spend the summer in the Shetlands with her aunt, Ruth, and new uncle, Archie, Prue arrives determined to find some answers. But she soon finds herself caught up in a web of family secrets, betrayals and – perhaps – even murder...

Set during one long summer in Shetland, this is a beautifully drawn, psychologically astute novel about a young woman's search for truth, even as she realises the lies that surround her have been keeping her safe.

Praise for The Gone and the Forgotten:

'What a beautiful, absorbing, emotional book... A stunning read' Louise Beech

The Gone and the Forgotten

  • By Clare Whitfield

    A psychological thriller from the author of People of Abandoned Character.

  • Material available

  • Rights Sold

    All Rights Available
  • Book Details

    Imprint: Apollo | Pub date: January 2021 | Format: 198 x 129mm | Extent: 416 pages |

  • About the Author

    Clare Whitfield was born in 1978 in Morden (at the bottom of the Northern line) in Greater London. After university she worked at a publishing company before going on to hold various positions in buying and marketing. She now lives in Hampshire with her family. Her debut novel, People of Abandoned Character, won the Goldsboro Glass Bell Award and is also published by Head of Zeus.

Related Titles

logo-white.png

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Registered in England No. 01984336

Registered Office: 50 Bedford Square,

London, WC1B 3DP

Sign up for our newsletter

Thanks for submitting!

© Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2024

bottom of page