'Almost hypnotically perfect prose' Kate Sawyer | 'A thoughtful, tender and delicate consideration of life's choices' Huma Qureshi | 'Ashby handles her material lightly and atmospherically' Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

When Cathy and Noah first got together neither saw children in their future. Eight years later, they're happily married - and Cathy isn't so sure. With Noah's patience for his wife's ambivalence waning, her widowed mother in a world of her own and her best friend yearning for a second baby, Cathy feels increasingly adrift.

Escaping into her work in the conservation studios of the National Gallery, she chips away at the layers of overpaint on a canvas from the collection. Will the discovery of an unexpected truth help her find the clarity she craves?

SECOND SELF is a novel about confronting expectations, and learning to cope with the nagging, complex questions that shape a life. It's about minds and bodies at the mercy of natural forces and social pressure. Above all, it's an ode to big decisions, small, tender moments, and how we choose to be. This absorbing second novel from the author of WET PAINT is perfect for fans of EXPECTATION and SORROW AND BLISS.