Love isn’t something that happens to you; it’s something you must choose every day.

From the moment Ben and June met on New Year’s Eve, their love has seemed fated. Looking back at all the tiny, unlikely decisions that brought them together, it was easy to believe their relationship was special. But now, after several years of marriage, June is struggling as a new mum. At times, she wonders about the life she didn’t choose — what might have been if she hadn’t given up the lead role in a famous ballet to start a family. Feeling like a bad mum and more alone than ever, she writes to her deceased mother, hoping for a sign.

One morning, Ben wakes to the sound of his baby and quickly realises that June is gone, along with her suitcase. As Ben attempts to piece together June’s disappearance, her new friends mention things he knows nothing about — a mysterious petition, June’s falling-out with another mum, her strange fixation on a Greek myth. The more Ben uncovers about June, the more he realises how absent he’s been. And now the only way to bring June home is to understand why she left.

Told through alternating perspectives of husband and wife, The Truth About Ben and June is a page-turner about life’s many crossroads and a heartfelt reminder that we create our own destiny.

Alex Kiester