It is Newcastle, 1953, and two new mothers make a pact that will resonate for generations to come. Together Greta and Sylvia decide to flee their old lives, and abandon their newborn babies. Eventually, though, teenager Sylvia is drawn back to her estranged family - to her daughter and the boy she still loves. But then her baby vanishes, and a whole cast of characters, including Greta, comes under suspicion. "The Great North Road" is an epic literary voyage through the storied landscapes of northern England, through tragedy and comedy, to the darker reaches of human behaviour. Compassionate and unfailingly dramatic, it is a searing and addictive debut novel.