The Making of Her
“‘An absorbing, brilliantly paced book; I didn’t want it to end.’”— RODDY DOYLE
Dublin 1966. When Joan Quinn, a factory girl from the Cranmore Estate, marries Martin Egan, it looks like her dreams have come true. But Joan lives in the shadow of a secret – the couple’s decision to give up their first daughter for adoption only months before. Then one day in 1996, a letter arrives from their eldest daughter. Emma needs her birth parents’ help; it’s a matter of life and death. And the fragile facade of Joan’s life finally begins to crack. Spanning the nineties and the sixties, with Dublin as its backdrop, The Making of Her is the tender and page-turning story of marriage, motherhood, a culture that would not allow a woman to find true happiness—and her journey to finally claim it.
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Praise
“Bernadette Jiwa’s powerful debut serves as a tribute to motherhood and the strength of women.”
— Veranda
“Tightly crafted women s fiction, with a sensitive look at love, conscience, and loyalty.”
— New York Journal of Books
“The Making of Her sucked me in from the very first page, and didn’t let up until I’d turned the last. Heartwarming and heartbreaking, it is an exquisite examination of the secrets that haunt us. I cried several times. A stunning debut.”
— Sally Hepworth
“The Making of Her is a compelling and tender exploration of the unattainable expectations of women, the shame and guilt inherent in motherhood, and the reverberations of the hardest choices we make. Jiwa gives us a beautifully crafted, thought-provoking novel that ultimately celebrates the strength of women. A true pleasure to read.”
— Ashley Audrain
“An absorbing, brilliantly paced book; I didn t want it to end.”
— Roddy Doyle
“Oh how I love this novel! Once I started reading I never looked away, except when my eyes filled with tears. Bernadette Jiwa has written a beautiful tribute to what our lives can become when shame is forgotten, and love is reclaimed.”
— Nina de Gramont
“Bernadette Jiwa writes with compassion and grace about what it means to be a mother, a daughter, and a sister.”
— Pip Williams