She marvels at the way a single day can unravel everything, like ribbon pulled from a present.

Easter Sunday, 1938. Ivy is nineteen and ready for her life to finally begin. At Cressingdon, her sprawling, bohemian family and their friends gather for lunch and to await the arrival of a longed-for guest. Britain is on the cusp of war, but in the idyllic Sussex countryside anything feels possible.

It is a single, enchanted afternoon that ends in tragedy and will change Ivy’s life forever.

Chronicling six pivotal days across six decades, Days of Light moves through the Second World War and into the twentieth century on a radiant journey through a life lived in pursuit of love and in search of an answer.

© 2025 Picador (Audiobook): 9781529010190

Release date

Audiobook: April 17, 2025