26a

Identical twins, Georgia and Bessi, live in the loft of 26 Waifer Avenue. It is a place of beanbags, nectarines and secrets, and visitors must always knock before entering. Forced to create their own identities, the Hunter children build a separate universe. It is when the reality comes knocking that the fantasies of childhood start to give way.

A hugely assured and very moving first novel

A remarkable first novel...vibrant...exotic

The Great Neasden Novel has arrived...Haunting and cherishable...A hugely promising debut

A dazzling debut...I adored this book; I defy anyone to read the final pages without tears in their eyes. Easily the best book of the year so far

This sparky debut novel... Enthralling from the first page, this bittersweet fusion of fairytales and nightmares is sugared by nostalgia and salted with sadness, Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail

'This is a satisfying book, full of energy and charm'

'Very enjoyable...Evans writes with tremendous verve and dash. Her ear for dialogue is superb, and she has wit and sharp perception...A consistently readable book filled with likeable characters: a study of loss that has great heart and humour'

'A serious and accomplished first novel, an affecting study of togetherness and separation in a family, a marriage and, most importantly, between the twins'

'An exciting and vibrant read. It's a weird and wonderful fairy-tale about the lives of twins... 26a is brilliant and a great read'

'Poetic, complex and lingering'

Diana Evans is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's Creative Writing MA and has published short fiction in a number of anthologies. She has worked as a journalist and arts critic for Marie Cla ire, the Evening Standard , The Source and Pride magazine, and writes regularly for the Independent and the Stage . She lives in West London.