MARJORIE CELONA

'My life begins at the Y...' Abandoned as a newborn at the doors of the local YMCA and then bounced between foster homes, Shannon eventually finds stability in the home of Miranda, a single mother with a daughter of her own. But as Shannon grows, so do her questions. Will she ever belong? Who is her true family? And why would her parents abandon Shannon on the day she was born? The answers lie in the heartrending tale of her mother, a headstrong young woman trapped in a series of events that will change her life forever.

A highly original, beautifully crafted literary thriller IRISH INDEPENDENTBy a frozen lake, ten-year-old Jesse waits for his father. Its New Years Day, and his dad promised a fresh start. But Jesse messed it all up. And thats when he meets the woman.In the months ahead, Veras disappearance sets off a chain of events in the small town of Whale Bay, spanning out like fracture lines into the lives of her husband, the detective trying to solve her case, and of Jesse and his family - a young boy cracking like ice under the weight of a terrible secret.Stunning .... page-turning and shocking JO SPAINExcellent DAILY MAILCelona has the courage to take her time and yet she manages to pull off twists worthy of Harlan Coben ... Its a rarity: a book confected with satisfying artfulness that feels like a slice of real life DAILY TELEGRAPH

Y. That perfect letter. The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wineglass. The question we ask over and over. Why? . . . My life begins at the Y. So opens Marjorie Celonas highly acclaimed and exquisitely rendered debut about a wise-beyond-her-years foster child abandoned as a newborn on the doorstep of the local YMCA. Swaddled in a dirty gray sweatshirt with nothing but a Swiss Army knife tucked between her feet, little Shannon is discovered by a man who catches only a glimpse of her troubled mother as she disappears from view. That morning, all three lives are forever changed. Bounced between foster homes, Shannon endures abuse and neglect until she finally finds stability with Miranda, a kind but no-nonsense single mother with a free-spirited daughter of her own. Yet Shannon defines life on her own terms, refusing to settle down, and never stops longing to uncover her rootsespecially the stubborn question of why her mother would abandon her on the day she was born. Brilliantly and hauntingly interwoven with Shannons story is the tale of her mother, Yula, a girl herself who is facing a desperate fate in the hours and days leading up to Shannons birth. As past and present converge, Y tells an unforgettable story of identity, inheritance, and, ultimately, forgiveness. Celonas ravishingly beautiful novel offers a deeply affecting look at the choices we make and what it means to be a family, and it marks the debut of a magnificent new voice in contemporary fiction.

Y. La lettre parfaite. Los de la chance, la fourche des chemins, le verre a martini vide. La lettre qui se prononce pourquoi en anglais Why? , question que nous posons sans cesse. Ma vie commence au Y. Ainsi debute lhistoire de Shannon, un bebe abandonne devant les portes dun YMCA (une association de jeunes chretiens), emmaillote dans un pull gros crasseux, avec pour seule compagnie un couteau suisse. Quelques secondes plus tard, elle est recueillie par un homme, mais celui-ci ne peut quapercevoir la silhouette de la mere qui senfuit deja. Une decision qui va changer a jamais le cours de ces trois vies. De famille daccueil en famille daccueil, Shannon doit faire face a labandon et a la violence. Elle finit cependant par trouver la stabilite et lamour chez Miranda, une mere celibataire bienveillante qui naime pas le gaspillage. Mais les questions que se pose la jeune fille grandissent avec elle. Dou vient-elle? Qui est sa vraie famille? Pourquoi la-t-on abandonnee le jour meme de sa naissance? Les reponses se trouvent dans le recit dechirant de la vie de Yula, la mere de Shannon, une enfant au destin tragique. Abordant des themes fondamentaux tels que la famille, la question de lidentite ou encore la notion dheritage, Y est un roman dune rare beaute, plein de sagesse et de profondeur, qui ose demander pourquoi? tout en insinuant que la reponse nest pas toujours claire et quelle na peut-etre meme pas vraiment dimportance.