The WINNER of the Richard and Judy Summer Book Club 2016! Jackie Copleton – A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding

It’s with great excitement that we can announce the winner of the Richard and Judy Summer 2016 Book Club as Jackie Copleton with A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding.

"I am stunned and thrilled to have won the readers' poll. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news, especially given the calibre of the other books and talent of the writers. I'm so grateful to everyone who voted and to WHSmith and the Richard and Judy Book Club for their amazing support of my debut novel. It can be tough for first-time writers to get their work out into the world. I've been walking into stores just to stare in wonder at that gorgeous cover on the shelves. This has capped off a brilliant summer. Thank you." - Jackie Copleton

When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki in 1945 Amaterasu Takahashi’s life was cast into the shadow of her daughter and grandson’s deaths. Together with her husband Kenzo the pair eventually moved to America to escape the dark memories of their city, but the guilt and grief never left Ama. Now in her eighties and widowed in a country that never really felt like home, Ama receives a disfigured visitor who claims to be her grandson Hideo. But before she can believe this stranger, Ama is forced to confront the past to learn more about the daughter she lost and the grandson who may have survived after all.

Vivid, heart-wrenching and compelling, A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding explores the civilian impact of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki with humanity and depth whilst also offering a story of love, loss, family, forgiveness and regret.