In the garden, there were three flamingos.

Not real flamingos, but real emblems, real gateways to a time when life was impossibly good.

They were mascots, symbols of hope.

Something for a boy to confide in.

They spoke of then and now, time being quick and slow.

They spoke of love, welcome, sadness and waste.

But mainly of urgency.

*

In 1984, six-year-old Daniel Berry is happy. He and his young mother have finally stopped running. They’ve landed in a bungalow that feels like a palace. The family next door are raucous, generous, the closest thing to love they’ve known. 

So this is what it’s like to be fearless.

 In 2018, as the book opens, forty-year-old Daniel Berry is sleeping rough with a small ceramic sheep and a broken heart. His girlfriend has left him, his landlord has evicted him, his home is being turned into an Airbnb.

 Is it possible to go back to when we were happiest? Will anything still be there when we arrive? Inspired by a stranger in a public library, Daniel decides to find out.

*

Heartbreaking, tender and funny, Flamingo is a novel about all kinds of love, from the brilliant to the catastrophic. It’s about home, belonging, acceptance. It’s full of sadness and giddiness, fear and fearlessness, kindness and wild hope.

AROUND THE WORLD

In February 2023, Flamingo was published in Germany (hardback & ebook) by mareverlag, translated by Claudia Feldmann – the same brilliant team behind the German edition of indie bestseller Do Not Feed the Bear

FROM THE REVIEWS

‘Flamingo is the most wonderful, life-affirming, readable book about two families who quite by chance end up living next to each other’
– Mary Ann Sieghart, author, journalist, broadcaster & chair of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2022

‘Beautifully written, witty, clever, and a proper page-turner’
– Felicity Hayes-McCoy, journalist & USA Today bestselling author of the ‘Finfarran’ novels

‘I LOVED this. I read it in a day. It is vibrant and glorious, full of life and colour and pain and love’
– Julie Cohen, author of Spirited and The Two Lives of Louis & Louise

‘This book is brilliant. It’s heartbreaking and funny at the same time. The observations of internal worlds – how we all think and feel, our fears and insecurities – are so accurate and nuanced, and also incredibly kind. Tender and beautiful, this novel is full of profound intimacy. Just wonderful’
– Nigel Wellings, psychotherapist & author of Nothing to Lose, Why Can’t I Meditate? and Present With Suffering

‘A very human story, full of hope’
– the Women’s Prize for Fiction

‘I completely and utterly loved it. This is a story about family, secrets, desire and duty, as well as a sensitive portrayal of the realities of homelessness and mental health. I adored this intelligent and nuanced novel, and Rachel’s prose is beautiful. At times there is almost a sense of other-worldliness and the magical, as the narrative weaves gracefully in and out of the past and present. I loved it for many reasons, but her ability to have you laughing out loud on one page, and genuinely moved on the next is a rare and wonderful talent’
– Years of Reading Selfishly

‘Threaded through with charmingly strange internal conversations, this book celebrates the wonderment of life, and brings comfort to anyone who is feeling a little alone’
– Kerry Fowler | Sainsbury’s Magazine’s ‘Book Club Choice’ for September 2022

‘I honestly can’t overemphasise how much I loved Flamingo, I couldn’t put it down. Every now and then a book stands out as not just amazing but absolutely exceptional and Flamingo is that book. It tells the story of determination, desire, heartbreak, loss and redemption and does so in a way which will have you giggling one moment then sobbing the next. I absolutely adored Flamingo and was devastated when the story finished and I had to go back into real life. I will be shouting loudly to all who will listen about how amazing it is!’
– Intensive Gassing About Books

‘I love Rachel Elliott’s books. I love the way her stories are populated by characters who don’t quite seem to neatly fit into the mainstream. People who are different without intending to be … Elliott weaves tales that allow them to be fulfilled and accepted. And although their journeys aren’t easy or straightforward, ultimately, the novels are uplifting. You come away from reading a story such as this not feeling quite so bad about yourself … Utterly exquisite, heart-wrenching and heart-warming’
– Gill Chedgey, NB Magazine

‘What a lovely book Flamingo is. It’s a wonderful exploration of family and friendships and how covering up the truth can lead to unnecessary pain. Beautifully written, it kept me gripped as the truth began to unravel’
– Jules Swain

‘Both poignant and life-affirming. A triumph’
– Woman Magazine | ‘Best Books’ September 2022

‘A lovely study of the stories we tell ourselves … Elliott’s prose is graceful and engaging … Flamingo, at its dysfunctional heart, is a story of people learning to let go and grow, to accept and love people regardless of their flaws, to find a radical space in the heart for kindness to flow. It’s a book about chosen family, finding yourself and the way truly being seen is the safest place of all’
– Eric Page, Scene Magazine

‘Lovingly written … beautiful ... a story full of hope, kindness and love’
– Zoe West, Woman’s Weekly | ‘Book Club Pick, September 2022’

‘A brilliant and well-written book that I can't recommend enough!’
– Owen Hollifield

‘Poetic, lyrical, it pulled me in. You really start to feel a part of it – this story, this family … it’s incredibly effective. By the time I left the world of it, I wasn’t ready to leave. I would highly recommend this one – definitely do check it out’
– The Bert’s Books Podcast

‘A very special book. Flamingo is one of those novels that’s hard to describe, because there’s so much in it. It’s only when you have read and thought about it that you can really start to appreciate what an incredible author Rachel Elliott is, and how layered and nuanced her novel is. I loved it’
– Clare at Two Fond of Books | ‘Highlighting the very best in literary fiction’ | Radio Tamworth Book Club, hosted by Kiren Parmar

‘I don’t know if I can find the right words to express how much I loved this book … told in fragments like half-forgotten memories and with such beauty it could be a poem. The writer conveys perfectly how certain people can hold space for and heal wounds in each other. I was enchanted by this story and it will keep a special place in my heart’
– The Lotus Readers

‘I loved this wonderful book so much, it made my heart sing and is all about love, kindness and being around people that accept you for who you are. It is such an enchanting and charming read and the way it has been written is beautiful. Even after I had finished it I was still thinking about the characters. It’s a story that people may find comfort in, a tender story that in time will heal us’
– Echoes in an Empty Room

‘Flamingo is as gorgeous inside as it is on the outside’
– Sarah Turner, 2019 Costa Book Awards judge

‘Flamingo is a beautiful story of love. You get close to Daniel, Rae, Leslie and the others … You want to keep them in your heart, listen to them, sit down at that table and be a family together. The writing style is magnificent: stimulating, intriguing, musical, like a song. A brilliant book – this is a five-star for me’
– Naza The Bookworm

‘It’s really different, fresh, endearing. It’s about managing to be in a family and being seen for who you are – all the struggles of that. An easy read yet there’s so much emotion. Bravo!’
– Philippa Hall, The Quick Book Reviews Podcast

‘This was such a breath of fresh air for me. Daniel’s experience of homelessness is raw and emotional and the journey he goes on is so compelling. I love that the characters are flawed, as we often are in life, which made them seem so tangible and real. There is heartbreak and laughter within these pages, and everything in between. Rachel captures the human experience so perfectly and the raw emotions leap off the page. It's brilliant and I thoroughly recommend!’
– Joanna Wright, Books and Lovely Things

‘This book hooked me quickly. I loved the rich and well-developed characters. I am a converted fan of this author. This is a book I’ve been unwilling to put down. I’ll definitely be recommending this gem’
– Little Miss Book Lover 87

‘This is a moving story, beautifully written – a story that shows in times of despair that there is always hope, love and kindness around’
– Zoe Bees Books