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.
Reviews for THIS FAMILY:
Friendship, rivalry, infidelity and the love that binds them all together are unpacked in this ambitious, immersive novel ― Red Magazine A hugely atmospheric, multi-layered family drama that sings with emotion ― Good Housekeeping, *Book of the Month* 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 ― inews Lyrical, literary and luminous . . . buy it and treat yourself to writing at its finest -- Bethany Clift A smart yet tender page-turner. Kate Sawyer makes the reader feel as though they have a seat at the family table -- Erin Kelly 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 -- Wiz Wharton Subtle, intelligent, and so deeply moving . . . people who just feel so achingly real. Extraordinary -- A. J. West Absorbing and unexpected. It took some turns that I really didn't see coming, but which nonetheless felt plausible and satisfying -- Rebecca Wait Perfection. Funny and powerful, deeply moving, hugely atmospheric -- Liz Hyder 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 -- Georgina Moore Kate Sawyer is an extraordinary, original writer . . . An immersive and absorbing read - I could not put this book down -- Aliya Ali-Afzal 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 -- Susannah Wise Fans of The Stranding, rest assured - This Family is every bit as good and then some. An absolute treat from start to finish -- Natasha Calder 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 -- Jo Browning Wroe A vivid, family saga, rich in character and detail -- Ericka Waller A masterfully composed, perfectly observed family chronicle that feels utterly real in its evocations of grief, anger and love -- Emma Hughes Brilliantly plotted, deftly written and oozing with sophisticated style . . . It's what everyone will be reading this summer -- Annie Garthwaite 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 -- Aingeala Flannery This Family will reaffirm your faith in all the ways that love can be true -- Buki Papillon A sensitive, lyrical family saga . . . This will be a huge hit -- Rebecca Pert A gorgeous novel, peppered with the nostalgic joy and tension of one messy family -- Polly Crosby Demands to be experienced . . . A glorious, sweeping family saga from one of the most exciting novelists of recent times -- Jessica Moor The intimacy of a family with all its complications is a quietly devastating read. Loved it -- Julie Owen Moylan A beautiful novel, quiet and profound -- Karen Angelico A warmly emotional read that's strong on grief, love, family and friendship' -- Wendy Holden 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 -- Jennifer Saint Feels like the ultimate eavesdropping exercise, it's satisfying fresh and expertly structured. The penultimate chapter will make you shriek. I loved it -- Alexandra Heminsley
Book Description
An ambitious new novel of family life past and present from the author of the Costa Book Awards shortlisted The Stranding, for fans of Elizabeth Jane Howard, Anne Tyler and Sorrow and Bliss.