One Girl Began

‘With a brilliant concept and a skilful blending of histories, One Girl Began is both moving and addictive.' Joanna Briscoe

THREE WOMEN. ONE BUILDING. 111 YEARS . . .

East London, 1909. When her family fall on hard times, Ellen finds work in a box factory and is drawn into a tight-knit circle of friendship, one that will transform her life and test her in unexpected ways.

In 1984, the factory is now derelict. Eighteen-year-old Frances moves in with a group of squatters and activists who have taken over the abandoned building. As she tries to build a new life, an unsettling relationship develops, forcing her to question who she is and where her loyalties lie.

In 2020, the squat is now a gentrified conversion in a fashionable corner of the city. Amanda feels trapped in her tiny flat, overwhelmed by the demands of new motherhood and unsure of what the future holds – until the possibility of an alternative life presents itself . . .

One Girl Began is a novel about three women across three very different moments in time, connected by the same building and the forces that shape our lives.

‘A beautiful novel . . . reminds us that our streets are thick with history.’ Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

‘Read it to feel loved, and outraged, and inspired. Read it because it's not just a book, it's a friend.’ Marianne Levy