Monique Charlesworth was born in Birkenhead, but her work has a European bias. Fluent in French and German, she has published four acclaimed novels and a memoir. The Children’s War, her fourth novel, was inspired by her mother’s wartime experiences. Mother Country, her new memoir published by Moth Books, explores the many ways in which her mother spent her life trying to escape from being German and half-Jewish. Monique’s own life is the reverse of this trajectory. In June 2024, Mother Country was shortlisted for the TLS Ackerley 2024 Prize, awarded annually to a literary biography of outstanding merit. The judges describe Mother Country as 'a story of love and lies, in which Charlesworth patiently follows leads and unpicks a hugely complicated family history in order to come to an understanding of her relationship with her mother. Beautifully written and very skilfully structured, the book springs a number of carefully placed surprises on the reader. This is both a compelling detective story and an unusual and highly original book about the repercussions of the Holocaust.'Read more about this authorRead less about this author