An Extra Pair of Hands

A deeply moving story of what it means to care for those we love by bestselling author Kate Mosse.

A deeply moving story of what it means to care for those we love - by bestselling author Kate Mosse, writer of Labyrinth and The City of Tears 'A truly beautiful book, shot through with honesty, heartbreak and joy. I loved it' Adam Kay 'Luminous with love' Nicci Gerrard 'A celebration of ageing, womanhood and what love really means' Christie Watson, author of The Language of Kindness As our population ages, more and more of us find ourselves caring for parents and loved ones - some 8.8 million people in the UK. An invisible army of carers holding families together. Here, Kate Mosse tells her personal story of finding herself as a carer in middle age: first, helping her mother look after her beloved father through Parkinson's, then supporting her mother in widowhood, and finally as 'an extra pair of hands' for her 90-year-old mother-in-law. This is a story about the gentle heroism of our carers, about small everyday acts of tenderness, and finding joy in times of crisis. It's about juggling priorities, mind-numbing repetition, about guilt and powerlessness, about grief, and the solace of nature when we're exhausted or at a loss. It is also about celebrating older people, about learning to live differently - and think differently about ageing. But most of all, it's a story about love. 'A meditation on caring and ageing that lifts the spirits without pulling punches' Ian Rankin 'A beautiful, emotional and timely read' Matt Haig 'Questions how and why we fetishise independence when the reality of human experience is always interdependence. Here is a book that sees, in this, a cause for celebration' Guardian Book of the Day

About the Author

Kate Mosse is an international bestselling novelist, playwright and nonfiction author with sales of more than eight million copies in 38 languages. Renowned for bringing unheard and under-heard histories to life, she is a champion of women's creativity. Kate is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Founder of the global 'Woman In History' campaign and a Visiting Professor of Contemporary Fiction and Creative Writing at the University of Chichester. Kate lives in West Sussex with her husband and mother-in-law. @katemosse