everybody has secrets . . . will this one break somebody's heart?
Eight years ago, Nova Kumalisi agreed to have a baby for Mal and Stephanie Wacken. Halfway through the pregnancy, the couple changed their minds and walked away, leaving Nova pregnant, scared and alone.
Eight years ago, Stephanie was overjoyed at the thought of becoming a mother - until she found a text from Mal to Nova saying, 'Goodnight, beautiful'. Terrified of losing her husband to his closest friend, Stephanie asked him to cut all ties to Nova and their unborn child.
Now, Nova is anxiously waiting for her son, Leo, to wake up from a coma, while childless Stephanie is desperately trying to save her failing marriage. Although they live separate lives, both women have secrets that will bind them together for ever . . .
Incredibly moving and powerfully written, Goodnight, Beautiful is a tale of love, friendship and new beginnings.
what the blurb means. . .
Goodnight, Beautiful is my fifth novel to be published and it's different again from the other books. One of the main themes of the book is surrogacy.
Before I left Australia, and I was writing Marshmallows For Breakfast, the subject of people having children for other people came up with surprising frequency. I met women who had donated eggs to friends and others who knew people who were either donating eggs or having babies for family members or friends. It seemed a lot of people were doing this amazing thing outside of registered agencies and outside of the stories we hear in the press.
Although circumstances for every instance of egg donation or surrogacy were different, one element was always the same: relationships between the donor and intended parents were irrevocably altered - sometimes for the better, sometimes detrimentally. I decided that this was a subject I wanted to explore because it was another dynamic of human relationships that I hadn't thought to investigate. I wanted, also, to write about the subject of surrogacy from the angle of the strain it must put on the intended parents' relationship, and the little-talked-about subject of what a surrogate would do if they are left holding the baby.
It was an enlightening experience looking into the minds and hearts of those involved in surrogacy, and I spent a lot of time trying to work out whether I would be able to do it for someone I love - I'm still unsure what the answer is.
The novel also touches on the subjects of the secrets we keep even from those we love and mental illness. Hopefully, it will be as thought-provoking a read for you, as it was for me to write.
read a goodnight, beautiful extract...
'An emotional, smart modern drama.' heat, June 2007
'Both funny and moving this will have you reaching for the tissues.' Closer, May 2006
'What makes The Chocolate Run such a winning read is that
Koomson's characters develop in a believable way.' Heat, April 2004
'A laugh-out-loud, feelgood page-turner.' She, Feb 2003
everybody has secrets . . . will this one break somebody's heart?