Distance Between Us

The Distance Between Us is a novel by Maggie O'Farrell, the author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait. It is a story about how our families shape our lives.

On a cold February afternoon, Stella glimpses a man she has not seen for many years and recognises him at once. Or believes she does. At the same moment on the far side of the world, Jake is caught in a crowd of Chinese New Year revellers and realises that things around him are turning dangerous.

The two know nothing of each other. Yet both set out to get away. Jake heads for a place so remote that it appears on no map, while Stella makes for a destination in Scotland whose significance only her sister, Nina, will understand.