Cover

Praise for the previous work of

Praise for the previous work of

‘Burns fiercely with love and hurt. A quirky, rare and beautiful novel’

LINDA GREEN

‘Utterly engaging from the first line to the last . . . impossible to put down’

KATIE FFORDE

‘Brave and beautifully written’

ZOË FOLBIGG

‘Beautifully written and atmospheric’

TRACY REES

‘Wonderful . . . beautiful’

AYISHA MALIK

‘A beautiful, touching, moving, sweet treat of a book. Sad, intriguing, cleverly plotted, sometimes shocking, compelling read . . . I absolutely loved it’

JANE WENHAM-JONES

‘I loved it so much . . . the thing that most struck me was the sheer human-ness . . . It rang incredibly true’

SHELLEY HARRIS

‘A unique, beautiful novel that cleverly builds to a heart-stopping climax’

TRACY BUCHANAN

‘Lost for Words is that rare thing . . . a warm, wise and funny tale of our times with a dark and shocking twist . . . guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats’

LANCASHIRE EVENING POST

‘An enchanting read that will make you shed tears of sadness and joy in equal measure’

WOMAN’S OWN

‘Brave, intuitive, incredibly grounded and funny . . . A clever book that is unputdownable’

CANDIS MAGAZINE

‘An engaging read with a relatable and realistic heroine’

THE LADY

‘Oh, wow. Just . . . wow . . . Butland has created such an unforgettable character . . . Poignant, heartwarming, and totally unforgettable; Lost for Words is the soul-searching, exceptional novel that I have been waiting for’

THE WRITING GARNET

‘Brimming with hope, drama, friendship, love, and new beginnings and I read this book from cover to cover in one evening. This book is stunning and special and everyone should read it as soon as possible’

BOOKS OF ALL KINDS

‘Oh how I adored this book. I loved everything about it . . . Simply beautiful’

FROM FIRST PAGE TO LAST

‘Lost for Words is a compelling and lovely read that will warm your heart and leave you with a smile on your face . . . definitely do not miss out on this one!’

A SPOONFUL OF HAPPY ENDINGS

Dedication

For Dad, who taught me about photography, and that I can do anything

Epigraph

‘What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time.’

Understanding a Photograph, John Berger

24 April 2018

24 April 2018

The Photographers’ Gallery, Ramillies Street, London

Seeing the photograph will be a shock.

It always is. Even though she is the one who took it.

Veronica leans against the wall opposite the gallery entrance, braces herself, and turns her eyes to the poster. The no-nonsense font declares: ‘Women in their Power: Veronica Moon and Second Wave Feminism: 26 April—26 August 2018’. Two days from now. Vee reads the words until they cease any sense they were making, and then she makes herself look at the image. Doing it here, publicly, with cyclists skimming through her field of vision and grimy London noise all around, makes her feel half-disappeared already.