Magnetism

Mother and daughter Caroline and Erica are best of friends and worst of enemies. Set in the American mid- and south-west, their story unfolds over more than 50 years against a backdrop of sweeping social change. Feisty and argumentative, they roll with the punches, surviving car crashes, awkward family gatherings, relationship disasters―and plastic surgery. Sharply observed and darkly comic, Magnetism by Ruth Figgest notches a riveting new path through this most fundamental of family ties.

Ruth Figgest was born in Oxford but grew up in the USA. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Sussex. Her stories have been shortlisted for the Bridport Prize six times―she was awarded 2nd place in 2012 and was Highly Commended in 2017. Another of her stories was shortlisted for the Mslexia short story competition and ‘The Coffin Gate’ was broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Magnetism is her debut novel and was published by Myriad in March 2018. Ruth was a clinical audiologist and a senior manager in the NHS prior to her present position as Chief Executive of a charity that runs a community centre in East Sussex. She lives in Eastbourne.