A Family Matter

A mother following her heart. A father with the law on his side. A child caught in the middle.

1982 Dawn is a young wife and mother hemmed in by village life. Then Hazel appears like a torch in the dark. Their attraction is instant and suddenly Dawn’s world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected.

2022 Maggie has always lived with an absence where her mother should be. Her father never speaks of her and it feels impossible to ask. Then an official letter arrives with news from the past, and Maggie must face a truth far bigger than just her family’s secret.

Review

'Lynch’s debut burns like a sparkler, quick and mesmerizing.' ― New York Times

Affecting... Distilling sadness and hope , Lynch movingly weighs the gifts and costs of the era into which a person is born ― Mail on Sunday

'I was caught up from the first page, and completely taken aback by this story of restraint and 'civilised' behaviour, and things unsaid. I loved it’ ― Clare Chambers

‘A wonderful novel: profoundly sad but also absolutely gripping… it manages to be damning about a culture and a system whilst being compassionate towards the human beings pitted against each other inside that system’ ― Mark Haddon

'A beautiful and tender exploration of parental love, prejudice and the things we carry that we don’t even fully understand; the terrible decisions made in ignorance, and the almost unbearable consequences' ― Rachel Joyce

Gorgeous writing, beautifully told. From the first lines I was caught up in this family's net, the half-truths, the lies, and the love ― Claire Fuller

Explores love and loss, intimacy and justice, custody and care…it’s brilliant, I couldn’t put it down -- Anita Rani ― Woman's Hour

I smiled. I cried. I raged. Claire Lynch has written an un-put-downable novel, and I want everyone to read it. Lynch takes part of our recent history of shame and stigma, and makes it real and beautiful and moving and challenging. Every page sings out with empathy and love, pain and honesty. And the writing - so precise, so deceptively simple, so beautiful in its tiny moments - makes the pages speed by. This book will make you look differently at the world.' ― Emilie Pine

'To tackle heart-wrenching emotion with such precision and restraint takes one hell of a talent. An impeccable debut that takes the mess of life and turns it into something quite beautiful. A timely reminder of love’s redemptive power. I was blown away by this novel.' ― Lotte Jeffs

I’m full of admiration for this novel, which strikes the satisfying balance of being both quietly observed and deeply felt. It’s an intimate portrait of expectation, love and restraint written with great sensitivity and warmth. I adored it.' ― Chloe Ashby

About the Author

Claire Lynch has spent her career teaching literature in universities. She is the author of Small: On Motherhoods. She lives in Windsor with her wife and three daughters.