The Burden

Laura Franklin deeply resented the arrival of her younger sister Shirley, an enchanting baby adored by the whole family. Then one night her feelings changed completely, and she vowed to protect Shirley with all her strength and love.

As Shirley grows up she longs for freedom and romance, while Laura slowly learns that love cannot be a one-sided affair. The burden of her devotion shapes both their lives in dramatic ways. It is a story about what happens when love turns into obsession.

The book is one of six bittersweet, personal novels about the heart that Agatha Christie wrote under the name Mary Westmacott, apart from her crime writing.