When I Ran Away

seen, before or since, and their strength and their mothering in times of adversity is something I will never forget. Some were strangers, encountered in supermarkets and playgrounds, who showed me and my children great kindness, and sometimes, great disapproval. All are woven into my memory. All have stayed in my heart.
To my little boys, Leo and Rex, thank you for giving me so much material to work with. I hope one day you read this book and feel in its pages that you are the heartbeat of my life and that you always have been; that there are no words I could ever write to explain my love for you or for my gratitude that I am your mother.
Finally, to my husband, Tim, my partner in all things. Thank you for your love; for making me laugh every day; for leaving your shoes by the door where they are right at this moment as I write this; for believing that I could write a book and making sure that I did. This book, our life—they are possible because of you.

A NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ilona Bannister grew up on Staten Island and lived in New York City until she married a Brit and moved to London. Bannister, a dual-qualified U.S. attorney and U.K. solicitor, practiced immigration law in the U.K. before taking a career break to raise her two young sons and unexpectedly found herself writing fiction. When I Ran Away is Bannister’s first novel.


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