The Left-Behind Child

"A must-read... Ante's sensuous description of life... counts the true cost to one family of a mother having to work abroad as a nurse. There's pain for everybody, but this... is written with such joy that the overall effect is exhilarating" — Gwyneth Lewis

"A beautiful, hypnotic novel – positively capacious in its depth, its texture, and its heart" — Claire Lombardo

"Captures brilliantly the complexity of a teenage girl's feelings for her absent mother" — Rachel Joyce

A mother forced to leave her family. A daughter forced to reckon with what is left behind.

Lipa, Philippines, 2001. Neneng is 11 when her mother, Rosa, leaves to work as a nurse overseas: abandoning Neneng to care for a distant father, unsettled relatives and rebellious siblings. Their home shatters, and Neneng finds herself facing womanhood alone. From that point on, she vows never to become a nurse, and never to trust her mother again.

But Neneng is more like the strong-minded Rosa than she realises. As Neneng fights to survive and build a new life, the darknesses in the family's past come to light, and the reasons why Rosa needed to leave become clearer. When a twist of fate brings a new mother figure into her orbit, Neneng will come to understand why the profession of nursing matters so deeply to Rosa and – when crisis strikes – what 'care' means to Neneng.

Praise for Romalyn Ante:

"Ante is ... unparalleled in her image-making" — Fiona Benson

"Spellbinding" — Observer

"Powerful and hopeful ... Filled with heart and beauty" — Cecile Pin