Bethnal Green
30 January 2025Imprint: Manilla Press
Synopsis
*A STYLIST TOP 10 DEBUT FICTION BY WOMEN FOR 2025*
*A COSMOPOLITAN TOP 25 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION NOVEL*
'Captures with grace and profundity the experience of immigrants and health workers' TASH AW
'A beautifully immersive coming-of-age tale set amongst the brilliance and bleakness of 1970s London' LOUISE HARE
Penang, 1971. When Suyin Lim is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - a place as a trainee nurse in London's Bethnal Green Hospital - she jumps at the chance to leave her job as a seamstress and unite with her sister, who left for the same path a year before.
However, without warning her sister returns to Penang, a shadow of her former self and Suyin is forced to leave without any answers. Suyin soon finds herself starting a new life in London, falling in love with the vibrant city and its people and as she immerses herself in the gruelling but rewarding work of caring for her patients, she begins to understand what she really wants out of life . . .
BETHNAL GREEN explores the themes of sacrifice and heartbreak, the power of using your voice and the will to build a life of one's own against the odds. It is also a powerful love letter to dedicated NHS workers from around the world, whose work touches countless lives every day.
'Heartstring-pulling and hopeful' SARAH TURNER
'I was hooked from the first page' LAUREN HO
*A COSMOPOLITAN TOP 25 BEST HISTORICAL FICTION NOVEL*
'Captures with grace and profundity the experience of immigrants and health workers' TASH AW
'A beautifully immersive coming-of-age tale set amongst the brilliance and bleakness of 1970s London' LOUISE HARE
Penang, 1971. When Suyin Lim is offered the opportunity of a lifetime - a place as a trainee nurse in London's Bethnal Green Hospital - she jumps at the chance to leave her job as a seamstress and unite with her sister, who left for the same path a year before.
However, without warning her sister returns to Penang, a shadow of her former self and Suyin is forced to leave without any answers. Suyin soon finds herself starting a new life in London, falling in love with the vibrant city and its people and as she immerses herself in the gruelling but rewarding work of caring for her patients, she begins to understand what she really wants out of life . . .
BETHNAL GREEN explores the themes of sacrifice and heartbreak, the power of using your voice and the will to build a life of one's own against the odds. It is also a powerful love letter to dedicated NHS workers from around the world, whose work touches countless lives every day.
'Heartstring-pulling and hopeful' SARAH TURNER
'I was hooked from the first page' LAUREN HO
Details
30 January 2025368 pages
9781786583475Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
Amélie Skoda captures with grace and profundity the experience of immigrants and health workers - the sacrifices as well as the joys of self-determination. A searching, immersive debut.Tash Aw, Booker prize nominated author of The Harmony Silk Factory and Five Star Billionaire
A beautifully immersive coming-of-age tale set amongst the brilliance and bleakness of 1970s London. Both a page-turning mystery and a thought-provoking examination of life for women at the time. I loved every moment of Suyin's journey. A wonderful debut.Louise Hare, author of This Lovely City
A thought provoking and touching tale of one woman's journey to find her place in the world as she navigates the push of opportunity versus the pull of family duty at home. Heartstring-pulling and hopeful with beautifully drawn characters, I enjoyed every second of getting to know Suyin.Sarah Turner, Sunday Times bestselling author of Stepping Up
Amélie Skoda presents a captivating immigrant story about a young nurse starting her new career and life in London during the 1970s, far from her troubled family and the only life she had ever known in Malaysia. I was hooked from the first page.Lauren Ho, author of Last Tang Standing and Lucie Yi Is Not a Romantic
