Sweet Pea: A Novel

“A profoundly compassionate novel of devastating power and emotional complexity.” ―Bernardine Evaristo

A beautiful portrait of a seemingly ordinary woman’s life, transformed by extraordinary love.

When Paulette arrived in England as a young girl, she left behind a grandmother in St. Kitts who called her “Sweet Pea,” taught her to cook, and admonished her to avoid temptation and embrace love and forgiveness, in that order.

Now, Paulette’s twenty-nine and within reach of her dream: a wedding, a baby, and a little house. She’s got the man, handsome Denton, and a good job as an assistant nurse. But when tragedy strikes, her baby comes from Denton’s friend, a relationship that can’t last. Soon it’s just Paulette, grieving the life she almost had, and her son, Bird. It seems like enough, until another boy, the same age as Bird, appears. Now, there’s someone new to take under wing and worry about, someone who calls her Sweet Pea and makes her laugh.

Through friendships, motherhood, and connections that emerge in the most unexpected places, Paulette discovers strength in everyday acts of kindness.

A luminous and lyrical novel of the trials of life and the compassion that can follow, Sweet Pea introduces readers to an indelible heroine who never turns away from her capacity to love.