Love Forms

“Alive and convincing. . . . The final pages, which unfold at the family’s beach house on Tobago, are as gripping as any thriller, and the ending, when it comes, feels as right as it is devastating.”—The Guardian

“A moving story of a mother’s love and longing, Love Forms pulls you deep into the landscape of memories and emotions as a mother searches for the daughter she gave up for adoption. Claire Adam’s prose is lit from within.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake and Good Dirt

“Gripping and heart-rending . . . The heart of the novel is in Dawn’s attempt to make sense of the trajectory of her life. . . . Readers won’t want to put this down.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Adam shines in her characterization of the Bishop family, their fascinating dynamics, brutal honesty, and most of all, their enduring love for one another. The core of this poignant novel is the powerful mother-child bond and its ability to endure even long after losing a child.”—Booklist

A deeply affecting story . . . Adam’s defining skill is to produce heartbreaking family stories that don’t resort to mawkishness.”—The Sunday Times

“Ambitiously layered . . . Adam pulls us into the murky tale with a deceptively unshowy style. . . . Crushingly tender, the novel explores heavy subjects without fuss.”—The Daily Mail

“From the very first page, I knew I was in the hands of a master storyteller. . . . An utterly arresting tale of love and grief, of the wounding and healing powers of family, of the many guises of a mother’s love . . . It’s an absolute triumph.”—Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

“An exquisitely written and uniquely Caribbean novel about the hard edges of social pressure and the soft longing of mother love . . . I was swept away from page one to the kicker ending. . . . A compelling and tender story of what—and who—is hidden in almost every family.”—Monique Roffey, author of Passiontide

“An arresting voice that made me think of silk: Its delicate beauty belies its intrinsic strength.”—Claire Kilroy, author of Soldier, Sailor

“A compelling read, full of secrets and the complexities of family and a rich sense of place.”—Romesh Gunesekera, Booker Prize–shortlisted author of Reef

“A quietly devastating masterpiece . . . I can’t remember the last time a book has gripped and moved me in this way. I rarely cry, but I howled. This is a standout novel.”—Marian Keyes, internationally bestselling author of My Favorite Mistake

“A beautiful story full of vibrance and heart . . . Claire Adam explores the complexities of family and place, what it means to be home, and the sacrifices we make for the people we love.”—Amanda Peters, bestselling author of The Berry Pickers

“Love Forms draws the reader in with quiet authority to quite devastating effect. Claire Adam is attuned to the nuanced forms that love takes, the awful things that parents do in its name, and the complicated ways that love endures—despite everything.”—Denise deCaires Narain, senior lecturer and reader in postcolonial literatures, University of Sussex