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Deserving of Grace
Should Have Told You Sooner follows a museum professional navigating the complexities of motherhood, the aftermath of divorce, and a career opportunity that leads her abroad. Where did the idea for this novel come from?
The idea for Should Have Told You Sooner came to me while I was immersed in a book of Welsh folk tales. One story in particular, “The Lady of Llyn Y Fan Fach,” captivated me and set my imagination racing. In it, a young farmer named Gwyn visits the lake named in the title, and while he is there, a most beautiful fairy rises from the water and speaks to him. She is Nelferch, and in an instant, Gwyn is in love. Nelferch agrees to marry him, sacrificing the watery world she knows for a life with him on dry land, but their union ends in disappointment and pain. Long after finishing the story, I kept thinking about Nelferch and Gwyn and all the ways we might harm those we profess to love. It wasn’t long before I stopped thinking about the folk tale characters and began imagining a more contemporary pair.
What is one pivotal moment in the story that you think best defines Noel?
After Noel leaves a heart-to-heart talk with Henry, the young artist she’s been working with, she makes a side trip to an art museum instead of returning right back to work. Their conversation has shaken her – and I won’t say why because spoilers! – and as she’s walking through all the London neighborhoods that were her haunts while she was a student, both Henry’s words and her memories are running through her head, and she’s letting them. Until this moment, she’s been the person who put her memories in a box and closed the lid tight on them because the idea of revisiting that part of her life was too painful. I think it becomes clear here how hard it’s been for her to live with the memories and also how hard it’s been to live without acknowledging them, and not only for herself. She realizes something has to change.
Is there any moral or idea that you hope readers take away from the story?
I always hope my stories make readers think about how complex and flawed and yet deserving of grace we all are. That living is all about change and growth and doing the work that helps us heal both ourselves and our relationships with others.
What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?
I’m currently working on the sequel to Should Have Told You Sooner, and I have two other novel projects that are in early planning stages. If the sequel is finished within the year, it could be out as early as 2027.
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While studying art history at a London university, Noel Enfield falls passionately in love with aspiring artist and art school student Bryn Jones. Shortly after Bryn leaves for a five-month painting trip through Italy, Noel discovers she is pregnant. She is ecstatic and believes Bryn will be too—they have plans to marry, after all. But mishaps part the two lovers, and a desperate Noel makes a split-second choice to move forward in a way that will change not only her life but also the lives of everyone she loves.
Three decades later, when she is offered a six-month secondment to a London museum, Noel decides it’s time to prove she really has moved on from that difficult period by returning to the city where she met and lost Bryn. But rather than proving she has persevered, the move lands Noel in the thick of London’s insular art world, with only one or two degrees of separation from her past and the people she once loved. After she reconnects with an old, dear friend and learns finally what kept Bryn from returning to her all those years ago, the very underpinnings of her life are rocked to their core. Some decisions made in the past can never be put behind her, she realizes, and armed with this new understanding, she sets out on a journey to reclaim what—and who—she left behind.
Should Have Told You Sooner
Should Have Told You Sooner is a layered story about family secrets, fractured love, and the tug-of-war between past choices and present consequences. At its heart is Noel, a museum professional navigating divorce, motherhood, and a career-defining opportunity abroad. Interwoven with her journey are letters from a boy in Leeds who slowly learns the truth about his adoption. The alternating voices expose the pain of what is spoken too late and what is left unsaid altogether. It’s a book that ties personal identity to memory, regret, and the relentless need for truth, while reminding us that silence in families can echo across decades.
I found myself swept up in Noel’s storyline most of all. She is flawed and frustrating, yet deeply human. Her desire to claim her career while holding onto her stepdaughter felt messy and real. The scenes with Alice carried such emotional weight that I felt the sting of rejection right alongside Noel. At the same time, I felt anger at her evasiveness. The title fits perfectly, so much of the pain in the book comes from words that were never said out loud until far too late. Ward’s writing style is sharp but also tender, with a knack for making small domestic details shimmer with meaning. Sometimes the prose slowed down with repetition, yet I rarely minded because it mirrored the weight of memory and hesitation.
What lingered with me most, though, was the emotional thread of the boy’s letters. His innocent hope and later confusion as he uncovered his past had a rawness that pulled at me. Those chapters broke up Noel’s present-day turmoil in a way that heightened both storylines. I found myself wanting to protect him, while also feeling frustrated at the adults around him who thought hiding the truth would shield him from pain. That mix of sadness and frustration stayed with me even after I finished the book.
Should Have Told You Sooner is a moving exploration of the cost of silence and the bravery it takes to speak truths we’ve buried. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy contemporary fiction about family, adoption, and second chances. It will especially resonate with anyone who has felt the weight of secrets in their own family or who has struggled to balance personal ambition with love and responsibility.
Pages: 256 | ASIN : B0FDBLX3BD
LITERARY TITAN 