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Love In The Present Tense
Love In The Present Tense
Jan 27, 2026 12:29 AM

Author:Catherine Ryan Hyde

Love In The Present Tense

The story of a love that transcends time, place and human weakness from Richard & Judy bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Perfect for fans of Mark Haddon, Mitch Albom and Alice Sebold.

'A work of art...enchanting' -- San Francisco Chronicle

'A magnificent storyteller' -- Denver Post

'What a quirky wonderful book! It moved me and made me laugh - what a wee gem!' -- ***** Reader review

'A beautiful, moving and thoughtful book' -- ****** Reader review

'Read it in one sitting. Really enjoyed it - had me laughing one minute and crying the next.' -- ***** Reader review

'A beautiful story about love in its various forms.' -- ***** Reader review

'Heartbreaking and uplifting.' -- ***** Reader review

'I highly recommend this book, it'll move the hardest of hearts!'-- ***** Reader review

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THE MAGICAL STORY OF A YOUNG BOY'S SEARCH FOR BELONGING

Mitch is a 25-year-old with commitment issues. Leonard is a five-year-old kid with asthma and vision problems, who captivates everyone he meets. Pearl is Leonard's teenage mother, who's trying to hide a violent secret from her past. Life has given Pearl every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbour, Mitch.

Then one day, with a heart full of agony, Pearl drops Leonard off with Mitch and never returns.

How do you go on loving someone who isn't there? With Leonard's absolute conviction in 'forever love' always present, Leonard and Mitch grow up side by side and piece together the layered truths and fictions of their almost magical lives.

Pearl, Leonard and Mitch each have a story to tell - as their lives unfold, profound questions arise about the nature of love and family. The answers are heartbreaking, but ultimately triumphant.

Reviews

A sweet and honest look at the pains and pleasures of love, and who could not fall in love with Leonard-what a beautifully drawn character

—— Jane Green

A work of art...enchanting

—— San Francisco Chronicle

Haunting

—— Washington Post

Hyde excels in her story of a love that transcends time, place and human weakness

—— Publishers Weekly

A magnificent storyteller

—— The Denver Post

Hyde is a remarkable, insightful storyteller, creating full-bodied characters

—— Library Journal

I really enjoyed Pay It Forward and its powerful message. I very much admire the work and philosophy of Catherine Ryan Hyde and I thank her for what she is doing and for what she is writing. It's a powerful reminder of the difference one person can make.

—— President Bill Clinton

Connelly is fluid and well-paced, and her fictive prison world, set in the actual political hellhole that is present-day Burma, is as affecting as any UN statistical report about the conditions of life in that ruined country.

—— Edmonton Journal

Not a work for people with tender minds and weak stomachs

—— J.B. Priestley

A brilliant tour de force, Brave New World may be read as a grave warning of the pitfalls that await uncontrolled scientific advance. Full of barbed wit and malice-spiked frankness. Provoking, stimulating, shocking and dazzling

—— Observer

Digging to America is another superb novel, warm-hearted and funny

—— Caroline Moore , Spectator

A return to form by a great writer...beautifully done

—— Adam Mars-Jones , Observer

A small exquisitely painted canvas. Don't miss it

—— Woman & Home

Keen-eyed and funny

—— Victoria Lane , Daily Telegraph

There is so much truth here, as Tyler strips away the issue of ethnic difference to reach the heart of her complex and compelling matter

—— Julie Wheelwright , Indenpdent

Warm and optimistic, this story about adoption raises issues of belonging and identity

—— Bel Mooney , The Times

Tyler possesses a remarkable ability to render the ordinary extraordinary, which makes reading her work like tucking into tea and cake on a cosy Sunday afternoon

—— Kathryn Mille , Time Out

Full of excruciatingly comic set-pieces, this is an immensely satisfying, yet subtle, read

—— Simon Humphreys , Mail on Sunday

Tenderly observed and lifted by humour, Digging to America is a complex novel that asks if anyone can ever truly fit in. In answering that question Ms Tyler has woven her magic once again

—— Economist

As in her previous books, the writing here makes for wholesome, comforting fare, spiced as always with urbane wit and a knack for nailing the small truths behind fine details

—— Globe and Mail

In Digging to America, Tyler exhibits her knack for softening the sharp edges of human contact, showing people with smudges of vulnerability on their faces as they dig toward each other

—— Toronto Star

Her prose is at once unpretentious and elegiac, like a photograph by Dorothea Lange, and her imagery has staying power

—— New York Times

Deft and wise prose... [Tyler's] skill at turning everyday occurrences into amazing storytelling gets better and better

—— Sunday Express

Redemptive

—— Daily Telegraph
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