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My Counterfeit Self

Description:

From the award-winning author of Half-truths and White Lies and An Unknown Woman, comes an evocative, life-affirming tale of one woman who decides that she isn’t going to sit by without protest.

‘Lucy Forrester leaps off the page, feisty and unconventional, so that you never quite know what to expect from her.’ ~ Julie Cordiner

A rose garden. A woman with white hair. An embossed envelope from the palace.

Lucy Forrester, for services to literature, you are nominated for a New Year’s Honour.

Her hands don’t tremble with excitement, but with rage. For five decades, she’s been the voice of resistance, angry anti-war poems echoing through protest marches, her CND placard held high, her voice a razor-sharp challenge to the establishment. But beneath the legendary activist’s fierce exterior lies a story few know: a child once trapped inside an iron lung, listening to her own deadly prognosis — Polio.

Now, on the day of Dominic Marchmont’s funeral—the man who has been both long-time lover and literary sparring partner—Lucy receives an invitation that feels like both a taunt and a challenge. But where Lucy sees provocation, her husband Ralph sees possibility. Could this honour be Dominic’s final gift? One last attempt to secure recognition and compensation for the sacrifice the Nuclear Test Veterans made in service of their country?

Lucy has always known how to weaponise words, to turn personal pain into political protest. But this invitation demands something different—a reckoning with a life lived between rebellion and vulnerability, between public defiance and private wounds.

Perfect for readers who love nuanced portraits of extraordinary women, this novel explores the intricate landscape of activism, love, and survival. Margaret Forster meets Ali Smith in this unforgettable story of a poet activist who refuses to be silenced.

‘Complex relationships, important moments in history, a strong, vibrant, protagonist. Lots to enjoy here.’ ~ Clare Flynn, author of The Pearl of Penang

📚 Perfect for readers who enjoy books by Maggie O’Farrell, Margaret Forster or Ali Smith, or who love:

Women’s historical fiction about the recent past
Historical fiction set in London
Literary historical fiction with strong female protagonists
Book club fiction that sparks lively discussion
Novels that bring important moments in history to life
Feminist historical fiction

🔍 Also ideal if you’re searching for:

Character-driven historical novels
Emotionally rich, immersive storytelling
Historical fiction with themes of identity and resilience
British historical fiction with strong sense of place
Thought-provoking fiction for reflective readers
Historical novels with powerful female leads
Literary fiction that blends history with emotional depth

‘The story of an extraordinary mind emerging out of a struggle with childhood polio. My Counterfeit Self packs a punch beyond the realm of fiction.’ ~ Bookmuse UK

‘Completely gripping, excellently written and so skilfully put together, I can’t recommend My Counterfeit Self highly enough.’ ~ Isabel Wolff, author of Ghostwritten

‘A gift of a novel (and will probably appear in the Christmas stockings of several of my friends….) and one that will haunt me for a long while.’ ~ Mrs. Vivienne Tuffnell

‘A sensitively wrought novel of our times, and one I gladly recommend.’ ~ Radhika Swarup, author ofWhere the Rivers Part

‘My only regret is that I have turned the last page and can no longer share in any more of Lucy’s escapades and crusades.’ ~ Julie Whitely

Three novels for the price of two

My Counterfeit Self is included in the value box set, The London Collection, three full-length novels linked by their city setting. (Only available in eBook format.)