Home Bird

'This has all of Fran's trademark quick wit and black humour' Gráinne Murphy 'Funny, warm and very moving' Lucinda Hawksley 'Fran writes with such humour and humanity, it was an absolute tonic' Victoria Mackenzie

1979. Jackie Chadwick is 17 and living in a supported bedsit. She's still close to her foster parents and friends with (aka unofficial minder for) Amanda, their irresponsible daughter, but she’s enjoying her independence – until a fire leaves her temporarily homeless. Jackie’s dad, widower and recovering alcoholic Dave, has just been released from prison and sees this as his chance to make amends. He offers her his spare room – but can their relationship survive him going back on the booze and the arrival of his gin-loving lady friend and her errant son? As things go from bad to worse, Jackie has to decide how many chances you give someone who keeps letting you down.

Bittersweet and funny, Home Bird draws on Fran Hill's own experiences as a teenager in foster care.

'Deliciously nostalgic, brilliantly funny' Frances Quinn 'I loved Home Bird. Fran drew me in to that world' Jane Ions 'A jewel of a book. Fran Hill can do what other authors spend a lifetime trying to achieve: disarm you in a sentence' Deborah Jenkins 'The story is ultimately upbeat… the lightness of touch has real depth' Anthony Ferner 'Like a perfectly risen souffle made with dangerously volatile ingredients, Jackie’s story of dashed hopes, disappointment, optimism and resilience gripped me from the first line and wouldn’t let me go' Ruth Leigh

© 2025 W. F. Howes Ltd (Audiobook): 9781004192267

Release date

Audiobook: 20 March 2025