My Real Children

Author: Jo Walton

Patricia is a confused old lady, whose memories of the past don't make sense, because she is remembering two very different pasts. In her first job as a teacher at the end of the war she received a sudden proposal from an old boyfriend. If she accepted the proposal she entered into an unhappy and limiting marriage, but when she finally leaves Mark she finds herself entering on a much more satisfying life, while the world around her seems happier than the one we know. If she turns down the proposal, she begins a successful career as a travel writer and enters into a long and fulfilling lesbian relationship, but personal unhappiness awaits her and the world around her seems much less peaceful. This is an extraordinary account of the different lives that faced women through the second half of the twentieth century, and opens up a remarkable new way of looking at our own past. Why it's on the list: Jo Walton has written very different books throughout her career, but they have always proven to be both highly engaging and very popular, and this is no exception. Indeed, it could be one of her best books to date.