The Ash Museum by Rebecca Smith

The Ash Museum by Rebecca Smith

The year is 1944, and the Battle of Kohima claims the life of James Ash, who leaves behind two families - his wife and children, as well as his parents and sister who live in England unaware of his Indian family.

Fast forward to 2012, where Emmie is determined to raise her daughter in a world safe from the racism of her childhood. Her father, Jay, still haunted by his past, remains silent about his Indian life. One day, Emmie seeks solace in a local museum filled with another family's stories and artifacts. Little does she know that her own family's history is itself a treasure trove of secrets and mysteries awaiting her discovery.

'Extraordinary'Christie Hickman, Books Editor, S Magazine
'A beautifully written, multi-generational tale'Ella Dove, novelist and Commissioning Editor at Good Housekeeping, Prima and Red magazines
'Rebecca Smith's book demonstrates, yet again, her gift for vivid humour and deep empathy'Philip Hoare
'A timely and acutely observed novel about family and the circle of life'Carmel Harrington

Rebecca Smith is Jane Austen's great-great-great-great-great niece and the author of Miss Jane Austen's Guide to Modern Life's Dilemmas, a nonfiction guide that is being issued in the United States and the United Kingdom at the same time. Bloomsbury UK published three of her novels: The Bluebird Café (2001), Happy Birthday and All That (2003), and A Piece of Earth (2006). Smith is a Teaching Fellow in English and Creative Writing at the University of Southampton, where he studied history. She was the Writer in Residence at Jane Austen's Home Museum in Chawton, Hampshire, from fall 2009 to summer 2010, and she continues to collaborate with the museum. Shadow Eyes, her debut children's book, was a finalist for The Kelpies Award in 2012. She's now working on a second book.