The Love that Remains
A memoir
From Allen & Unwin:
After twenty years spent searching for her biological parents, 52-year-old Susan Hull unexpectedly meets the great love of her life - a goldminer named Wayne Francis. He is a gentle giant of a man, who promises Susan the world.
Two years later, they throw in their jobs, marry and sell everything they own, embarking on an incredible adventure, to start a new life in the romantic city of Granada, where they learn Spanish and enjoy too much tapas. In love, and enthralled by the splendour of a European springtime, the pair treasure every moment together.
Until a shocking series of events alters everything.
Riveting, heartfelt and remarkably honest, Susan Francis’ The Love that Remains explores unconditional love and the lies we tell to safeguard our happiness.
Reviews
“Finished reading this beautiful memoir, Susan Francis' writing is so brave - revealing a depth of feeling that was honest, unvarnished and compelling. THE LOVE THAT REMAINS explores the complexities of love - the truth of who it is we really fall in love with and ourselves in that process - and the constant discovery of who we are, who our partners are and how the two are intertwined. Plus she has all the perfect attributes for a detective! A great read.”
RWR McDonald, of The Nancys series
“THE LOVE THAT REMAINS is the extraordinary debut memoir by Australian Author Susan Francis. I listened to the audio book and have since reviewed the paperback. Whilst a convenient listen at 7.5 hours, the paperback allows the reader to fully appreciate this author's talented, rich writing and stunning literary prose. Overall, this was a beautifully crafted, heart-breaking memoir. A testament to love, grief and finding out who you really are. Susan is now working on her first fictional novel regarding the Balibo Five.”
Sammy Mac
“This is such a beautiful book… a compelling debut.”
Janine Rizetti, Australian Women Writers Challenge
“… her memoir, balancing love, life and death and the inescapable past haunting the present, has an epic dimension. Adopted at birth, half her story revolves around discovering who her parents were and who she is, while the other half re-creates the trip she and her husband take to Granada. They intend to go away for a year, but death intervenes, and in its wake, she discovers the dark past her husband never told her about. This is a tale of tangled webs, silence, the painful uncovering of the truth that lies behind them, and a hymn to love in the most demanding of circumstances.”
Steven Carroll, The Sydney Morning Herald