The Left-Behind Child

‘The Left-Behind Child is a beautiful, hypnotic novel – positively capacious in its depth, its texture, and its heart’ * Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever Had *
‘Romalyn Ante’s debut is such an assured and visceral piece of writing, richly detailed, and captures brilliantly the complexity of a teenage girl’s feelings for her absent mother - that need to both curl up on her arms like a child and break free of her as if she were the enemy. I love those moments too when you get snapshots of Rosa’s UK life that allow you to read between the lines and see the painful truth about working as a nurse in a foreign country that Neneng (of course!) fails to understand’ * Rachel Joyce, author of The Homemade God *
‘A lyrical and sensory coming of age story about loss and longing. Romalyn Ante’s debut novel is also a powerful exploration of the cost of caring both to nurses and those “Left Behind’ ” * Christie Watson, author of The Language of Kindness *
‘A beautifully crafted debut novel; a coming-of-age story that asks deep questions about loyalty and love, vocation and duty, and how we care for the people who care for us’ * Gavin Francis, author of The Bridge Between Worlds *
‘Showcases [a] unique poet’s eye … Ante’s story keeps up a giddy pace. Her narrative touch with a keen eye for telling detail … heightens the reader’s senses. Moving, comic, full of imagination, The Left-Behind Child is a novel full of heart, which holds a mirror up to the myriad ways we make sense of ourselves … ‘ * Fred d’Aguiar, author of Year of Plagues *
‘I loved this story of a daughter negotiating the loss of her mother to a richer nation’s healthcare system, and discovering the passion that led her mother to become a nurse along the way. It is populated by beautifully drawn characters; big characters full of emotion, life and conflict. These characters grew so vivid as I read that, after only a few pages, I felt I was living alongside Neneng’s family, experiencing all that was changing during her mother’s long absence. There is sadness here, but hilarity too, and stoic bravado in the face of adversity and superstition. I love the way the colossal, moon-swallowing Bakunawa haunts Neneng’s imagination until she discovers the satisfaction to be found in caring. This is a gorgeously bright and colourful novel. A moving, complex and engaging coming of age story about what it is to be left behind when the breadwinner has to go and win the bread a long, long way from home.’ – * Kathryn Faulke, author of Every Kind of People *
’Romalyn Ante writes about love in a way that feels both tender and unsettling at the same time. Her prose has this quiet, poetic quality that makes you sit with uncomfortable truths—that love can nourish you, but also leave deep, lasting wounds. Reading it, I found myself rethinking the idea of abandonment; it no longer felt like a simple act of leaving, but something shaped by necessity, sacrifice, and forces much bigger than any one person. The novel gently pushes you to reflect on what care really looks like, how forgiveness isn’t always straightforward, and how growing up in the absence of someone you love can shape you in ways you’re only beginning to understand. A powerful, nostalgic read. The kind of story that lingers - softly but persistently - long after you’ve turned the last page.’ * Oliver Soriano, President of the Philippine Nursing Association UK and a Chief Nursing Officer (NHS) *
‘The Left-behind Child leaves me amazed at how Romalyn Ante, with crisp sentences that breathe life, weaves the story of Neneng. Fast-paced, unputdownable, the narrative flows with action, sapping the bane of too much description, giving life and roundness to the characters and a fresh green to the landscape of the past. This well-written novel will surely go the distance of time’ * Simeon Dumdum Jr., multi-awardee of the Philippines’ Palanca Memorial Award *
‘Passionate, and enthralling, Romalyn Ante’s ground-breaking debut honours the children who become heroes to navigate the absences of parents working abroad for the family’s economic survival. Seasoned by the weathers, myths and foods of the Philippines, alive to the harsh textures of its losses, this inspiring and beautifully fierce novel is a multi-generational celebration of dreaming new worlds into being – then making them reality’ * Alice Hiller, author of bird of winter *
‘Vivid, bold and poignant, this is a study in confusion and compassion from a child’s eye view. Rich and generous, the novel aches with every kind of love’ * Karen Campbell, author of This Bright Life *

Romalyn Ante FRSL is a Filipino-British poet, essayist, and editor. She was born in Lipa, Philippines, and was 16 years old when her mother - a nurse in the NHS - brought the family to live in the UK.

Her debut poetry collection, Antiemetic for Homesickness, was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize and longlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize in 2020. Her second collection, AGIMAT, was published in 2024.

She lives in the West Midlands where until recently she worked as a full-time NHS nurse and psychotherapist, specialising in the mental healthcare of young people.

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