The Other Ida

Book excerpt: "It was nearly the scene Ida knew was coming and her palms were sweating. Instead of fairground rides there were peeling beach huts, a small girl, shivering in her nightdress, and hundreds and hundreds of furious gulls. On-screen Ida pushed her sister into the sea, and then climbed in after her." Almost 30 and entirely irresponsible, Ida Irons returns home for her mother's funeral. It's the first time she's been back, or seen her younger sister Alice, in fourteen years. Their mother was the caustic and secretive writer Bridie Adair, who named Ida after her infamous play. While Ida has been struggling to escape its shadow, Alice has been dealing with problems of her own. Forced to confront their fractured relationship, the sisters deal with their troubling history and search for the true story behind the play, finally asking the question: what really happened to 'the other' Ida?