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The Left-Behind Child
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The Left-Behind Child

By: Romalyn Ante
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

A mother forced to leave her family. A daughter forced to reckon with what is left behind.

Lipa, Philippines, 2001. Neneng is 11 when her mother, Rosa, leaves to work as a nurse overseas: abandoning Neneng to care for a distant father, unsettled relatives and rebellious siblings. Their home shatters, and Neneng finds herself facing womanhood alone. From that point on, she vows never to become a nurse, and never to trust her mother again.

But Neneng is more like the strong-minded Rosa than she realises. As Neneng fights to survive and build a new life, the darknesses in the family’s past come to light, and the reasons why Rosa needed to leave become clearer. When a twist of fate brings a new mother figure into her orbit, Neneng will come to understand why the profession of nursing matters so deeply to Rosa and – when crisis strikes – what ‘care’ means to Neneng.

Praise for Romalyn Ante:
'Ante is ... unparalleled in her image-making' Fiona Benson
'Spellbinding' Observer
'Powerful and hopeful ... Filled with heart and beauty' Cecile Pin

© Romalyn Ante 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Biographical Fiction Coming of Age Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction
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Critic reviews

‘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'
'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'
‘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 … '
‘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.’ –
'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.'
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