A schoolyard stabbing sends wingbeats echoing from the past. One shocking event. Two teachers risk their careers to help a boy who has nothing. Three worlds intersect and collide.

The best way to avoid trouble, thinks Ayisha Emmanuelle, is to avoid confrontation. As an inner-city schoolteacher, she does a whole lot of avoidance.

14-year-old Shamayal Thomas trusts no one. Not the family, not the gang. And at school, trusting people is forbidden.

Jim Stevens teaches history. Haunted by his own, he still believes everyone can learn from the past. History doesn’t always have to repeat itself.

A powerful exploration of the ache of loss set in a landscape where broken people can heal each other.

Fresh, funny, heartbreaking and real, this original and compassionate study of when to break the rules and why is perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell, Rachel Joyce and Ali Smith.

‘If you want to laugh and cry and stamp and cheer – all in the space of a few hours – then this book is the one for you.’ Bookmuse

'...a powerful story...the narration was outstanding...it kept me absolutely engrossed.' - Anita Wallas (NetGalley Reviewer)

'a layered literary novel with charm and humor as well as harsh realism. I can heartily recommend this book.' - Helen Aristar-Dry (Educator, NetGalley)

'A beautifully written story that will hold your attention until the very end. A pleasure to read and I would highly recommend this book to fans of literary fiction.' - Kirsty Holt (NetGalley Reviewer) Hailed by The Bookseller as 'One to Watch', Jane Davis writes thought-provoking literary page turners with a strong commercial edge. Her first novel "Half-Truths and White Lies", won a national award established with the aim of finding 'the next Joanne Harris'. Further recognition followed in 2016 with "An Unknown Woman" being named Self-Published Book of the Year by Writing Magazine/the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust, as well as being shortlisted in the IAN Awards, and in 2019 with "Smash all the Windows" winning the inaugural Selfies Book Award. Her latest novel "At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock", July 2020, has been featured in The Lady Magazine as one of their favourite books set in the 1950s, selected as a Historical Novel Society Editor's Choice, and shortlisted for the Selfies Book Awards 2021. Jane Davis lives in Carshalton, Surrey.