Doesn’t she deserve to get married in a peaceful environment rather than endure hostility, recrimination or rejection between her offspring? As this troubled family saga unfolds, her hopes seem unlikely to come to fruition. We all have a very different type of family, but in this book we get a glimpse into someone else’s and see that actually we’re all more similar than we realise. 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 I was really glad I started reading this book when I was at home, because Rosie's circumstances absolutely broke my heart, and were quite triggering for me. It's not much of a spoiler to mention here because it does happen so close to the start of the story, but Rosie's mother commits suicide while she is very young, and she subsequently lives with her Dad (Richard) and Mary, along with her two half-sisters (Emma and Phoebe). Much troubled history has kept these four generations apart, and it will take a lot for them to all be together in one place without the loss, heartbreak and betrayal rising to the surface. Mary hopes that the weight of this occasion will be enough to bring about a healing between them all, but some things are very hard to forgive - even among family.

Extraordinary. So elegant, compelling and beautifully written... a vivid and insightful exploration of the complexities of sisterhood, adulthood, desire and grief.' DAISY BUCHANAN The intimacy of a family with all its complications is a quietly devastating read. Loved it -- Julie Owen Moylan 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 The story is told over the course of this one day but the author cleverly winds in past reflections of several characters to show us just how the family dynamics evolved, where each choice was made that resulted in friendship or hurt, offense or love, betrayal or exile. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures

Kate Sawyer Press Reviews

It reminded me of a few books I’ve read in recent years - the reflective tone and tenderness of Nothing But Blue Sky, the quiet, humming prose of Tessa Hadley’s Free Love and the immersive family saga The Paper Palace, which was a little too cynical for my taste, something happily absent here. As I said I’m adapting THE STRANDING for screen, so hopefully there’ll be more to talk about on that front soon. I am working on a third novel. And I am hoping to continue taking the podcast to new audiences too. Oh, and I’m getting involved with the Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival which is returning to Bury St Edmunds with a bang this year on 20-22nd October. It’s a lovely little festival and we are excited that there’ll be more authors joining us this year after a quiet couple of years because of the pandemic. So, I am excited for that and keen to enjoy all of the events that I’m doing for THIS FAMILY around East Anglia and further afield because I didn’t get to do a proper book tour last time round! When many of us were approved for this book on Netgalley around the same time, the lovely @kimsreadingadventure hosted a buddy read at the beginning of March. Mary is preparing to remarry; a big celebration in her garden and then she’ll leave this home forever. Before she can get to that point though, her children and their partners, plus their long standing feuds will all have to come together and hopefully behave themselves for her big day. It is my dearest wish, that after so long apart, I am able to bring this family together for my wedding day.

This Family is the latest by The Stranding author, Kate Sawyer. I loved that book so much and I know lots of you reading this did too. My only qualm was the mention of so many major world events as markers for the years the family lived through; 9/11, the July bombings in London, the Indonesian tsunami, the COVID 19 pandemic. I felt it over complicated the narrative at times. Mary has raised her three children in a beautiful house and today she will marry once again. There are three daughters, all with their own issues. They don’t want to gather together because of various issues that occurred over the years but are doing it for Mary. Can they all bear being under the same roof for the wedding celebration without losing it ?Kate Sawyer is an extraordinary, original writer... An immersive and absorbing read - I could not put this book down." - Aliya Ali-Afzal Beautiful and compelling ... the most complex of dynamics are handled with the lightest, deftest touch... masterful.' LAURA KAY 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 Mary is getting married for the second time. She’s hosting a celebratory meal for the whole family and her ex-husband is on hand to cook a hog roast. Everyone has promised to behave; they all agree that Mary deserves her hard won happiness. Poor Mary – that she still has to worry that her adult daughters may cause havoc. We wonder why.