Surrogate

SUSAN SPINDLER (VIRAGO, £14.99) TV exec Ruth has watched daughter Lauren go through five years of hell in her efforts to have a baby, with failed IVF attempts and miscarriages. When she loses another child and is told she can’t risk any more pregnancies, Ruth is so desperate to help, she offers to carry the baby herself – at the age of 54, and without telling her husband. But is she doing it for Lauren, or to rewind the clock? As her decision rips apart her career, marriage, friendships, and even her relationship with Lauren, Ruth must confront her past and reshape her future. This is both a thoughtful read exploring motherdaughter relationships, marriage and ageing, and an absolute belter of a page-turner. One to tell all your friends about.