The Low Road

"A heart-rending story" —Jane Harris

Shortlisted for the New Angle Prize
Norfolk, 1813.

In the quiet Waveney Valley, the body of Mary Tyrell is found staked through the heart after her death by suicide. Accused of murdering her newborn child, Mary leaves behind her young daughter, Hannah, who is sent to the Refuge for the Destitute in London to be trained for a life of domestic service.


At the refuge, Hannah meets Annie Simpkins, another resident, and the two girls form a friendship that soon deepens into a powerful love. But their bond is tested when they are caught stealing from the laundry and sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay—separated by fate and condemned to uncertain futures.

Based on true events, The Low Road is a gripping, atmospheric novel that brings to life the forgotten voices of the past—convicts, servants, and the rural poor—and a moving portrait of love and resilience in the face of prejudice, injustice, and exile.