About the book

In the 1950s seaside town of Merham, everyone knows their place. Lottie Swift, an evacuee living with the respectable Holden family, loves it, while the Holdens’ daughter Celia opposes its constraints.

When a group of bohemians move into Arcadia, a grand Art Deco house on the seafront, Lottie and Celia are tempted into their alternative lifestyle. What ensues at the house has tragic and long-lasting consequences for all.

Now almost fifty years on, Arcadia and its past secrets return to life, prompting the question: can you ever leave your past behind?