The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell

The Hand That First Held Mine was the winner of the 2010 Costa Novel Award.  The story alternates between 1950s and the present day.  In the 1950s we follow Lexie Sinclair, a young woman fresh out of university and in disgrace.  She finds life in rural Dorset with her parents and siblings claustrophobic and she craves excitement.  Then, a chance meeting with the enigmatic Innes Kent changes everything.  She heads to London where she embarks on a love affair with Innes.  I loved the descriptions of life in 1950s Soho and the colourful characters.  In the present day we follow Ted and Elina, who have just become parents for the first time.  Elina nearly died in childbirth and Ted is haunted by this traumatic experience.  In contrast to the excitement of Lexie’s London life, Ted and Elina's life is sheer drudgery as they adjust to the demands of parent-hood.  At first it is Elina who is struggling, but just as she starts to cope Ted starts to disintegrate.   For most of the story it is unclear how Lexie is linked to Ted and Elina and this made me read on to find out what the connection was - I wasn’t disappointed.  I thoroughly enjoyed this, but I have always been a fan of Maggie O’Farrell.