Dear Olly

Olly's older brother Matt has set his heart on working in Africa with children orphaned by war, bringing them laughter as a clown. Their mother and Olly's sister would rather he stayed in England and started university, and the disagreement strains the family. Meanwhile Hero, a swallow, faces a long migration south to spend the winter with the rest of his kind, and the journey is full of hazards.

The novel follows these three strands and weaves them into one story. Its concerns include the damage landmines do to ordinary lives, the cruelty of war, and the resilience people draw on to keep going.