My debut, Another Us is a ‘heartwarming, poignant and funny story about love, family, autism …. and chocolate shoes. When Emma’s ten year old son Jack is diagnosed with ASD, she is horrified to discover that eight out of ten marriages with a child on the spectrum end before that child is sixteen. The trouble is, the more that Emma tries to hold everything together, the more her life seems to be spiraling out of control.
And then there’s that rather gorgeous new dad at the school gates …
Can Emma’s marriage beat the odds or is it destined to become just another statistic? And what will Emma learn about herself in the process?
Compassionate, funny and poignant, Another Us is perfect for fans of Marian Keyes and Fiona Gibson.
I’ve been lucky enough to have some writers I admire enormously say some wonderful things about Another Us. Here is a selection.
‘Kirsten Hesketh’s debut is both painfully real and at times painfully funny. Another Us is the warm and witty novel you need in your beach-bag this year.’ Chrissie Manby, bestselling author of Seven Sunny Days
‘A real page-turner, with a wonderfully relatable main character. Kirsten has such a fresh new voice and I’m so excited to read whatever she writes next!’ Christina Pishiris, author of Love Songs for Sceptics
‘Delightful action-packed read that will break your heart only to glue the pieces back together, albeit in a slightly different order.’ Jenny O’Brien, author of Silent Cry
‘What may, at first, seem a light-hearted portrayal of playground politics becomes something brave and brilliant, which both entertains and informs. Kirsten Hesketh’s writing is assured and the pace never falters… a total must-read debut.’ Claire Dyer, author of The Moment
‘This accomplished debut is gripping, at times heart-breaking and wonderfully well-written. It sheds a piercing light on the choices and difficulties experienced when autism is a part of family life, but also shows the strength and power of courage, love and persistence. A searing and honest look at a family reaching breaking point.’ Maddie Please, author of The Summer of Second Chances
The inspiration behind the book is that one of my children was diagnosed autism when he was ten. In fact, my book starts pretty close to where we were as a family at that time (with an extra child added in for good measure) – although in real life I had no idea about the statistic until much later on. The book quickly moves into ‘what if?’ territory – exploring the impact of the diagnosis on the family and the marriage. I’ve tried to get across that life with someone on the spectrum becomes the new normal and can be full of joy and humour. My son prefers dystopian books but thinks there should be more ASD characters in novels and his only request was that my ASD character is neither a hero nor a victim. I hope I’ve achieved that.
You can find out more about Another Us on my Amazon page here:
Kirsten Hesketh 