This Family
On sale
11th May 2023
Price: £24.99
It is my dearest wish, that after so long apart, I am able to bring this family together for my wedding day.
This house. This family.
Mary has raised a family in this house. Watched her children play and laugh and bicker in this house. Today she is getting married in this house, with all her family in attendance.
The wedding celebrations have brought fractured family together for the first time in years: there’s Phoebe and her husband Michael, children in tow. The young and sensitive Rosie, with her new partner. Irene, Mary’s ex-mother-in-law. Even Emma, Mary’s eldest, is back for the wedding – despite being at odds with everyone else.
Set over the course of an English summer’s day but punctuated with memories from the past forty years of love and loss, hope and joy, heartbreak and grief, this is the story of a family. Told by a chorus of characters, it is an exploration of the small moments that bring us to where we are, the changes that are brought about by time, and what, despite everything, stays the same.
(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
This house. This family.
Mary has raised a family in this house. Watched her children play and laugh and bicker in this house. Today she is getting married in this house, with all her family in attendance.
The wedding celebrations have brought fractured family together for the first time in years: there’s Phoebe and her husband Michael, children in tow. The young and sensitive Rosie, with her new partner. Irene, Mary’s ex-mother-in-law. Even Emma, Mary’s eldest, is back for the wedding – despite being at odds with everyone else.
Set over the course of an English summer’s day but punctuated with memories from the past forty years of love and loss, hope and joy, heartbreak and grief, this is the story of a family. Told by a chorus of characters, it is an exploration of the small moments that bring us to where we are, the changes that are brought about by time, and what, despite everything, stays the same.
(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
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Reviews
Friendship, rivalry, infidelity and the love that binds them all together are unpacked in this ambitious, immersive novel
A hugely atmospheric, multi-layered family drama that sings with emotion
Taking place over a single summer's day and told by a tapestry of characters, here is a vivid, absorbing portrait of a fractured family who are drawn back together by a wedding. A domestic saga at its finest
Lyrical, literary and luminous . . . buy it and treat yourself to writing at its finest
A smart yet tender page-turner. Kate Sawyer makes the reader feel as though they have a seat at the family table
A tender yet vivid novel in both form and voice, its threads as bright as the tapestry of life it depicts. I lived, laughed and ached for these characters throughout. A superb accomplishment
Subtle, intelligent, and so deeply moving . . . people who just feel so achingly real. Extraordinary
Absorbing and unexpected. It took some turns that I really didn't see coming, but which nonetheless felt plausible and satisfying
Perfection. Funny and powerful, deeply moving, hugely atmospheric
Every nuance of mothers and daughters and sister relationships is vividly explored. Beautifully written, it expertly weaves the past with the present, building the tension, so you have to turn the pages
Kate Sawyer is an extraordinary, original writer . . . An immersive and absorbing read - I could not put this book down
Captures the ebb and flow of family dynamics in Chekhovian detail . . . makes you want to call out, "wait for me!" as the end approaches and the characters depart
Fans of The Stranding, rest assured - This Family is every bit as good and then some. An absolute treat from start to finish
The vibrant, complex members of This Family are still alive and well in my imagination, weeks after I finished reading it. The rich, precise prose drew me into their world and held me there from beginning to end
A vivid, family saga, rich in character and detail
A masterfully composed, perfectly observed family chronicle that feels utterly real in its evocations of grief, anger and love
Brilliantly plotted, deftly written and oozing with sophisticated style . . . It's what everyone will be reading this summer
A compelling portrait of modern family politics . . . A must-read for anybody (everybody!) who's loved and despaired over their nearest and dearest. I loved it
This Family will reaffirm your faith in all the ways that love can be true
A sensitive, lyrical family saga . . . This will be a huge hit
A gorgeous novel, peppered with the nostalgic joy and tension of one messy family
Demands to be experienced . . . A glorious, sweeping family saga from one of the most exciting novelists of recent times
The intimacy of a family with all its complications is a quietly devastating read. Loved it
A beautiful novel, quiet and profound
A warmly emotional read that's strong on grief, love, family and friendship'
Messy, complicated joyful characters and relationships that sneak into your heart and make you care ... a bittersweet, deftly woven, captivating portrayal of a mother and daughters
Feels like the ultimate eavesdropping exercise, it's satisfying fresh and expertly structured. The penultimate chapter will make you shriek. I loved it