This Family

A sweeping novel of families and secrets, for fans of Anne Tyler, Elizabeth Jane Howard and Sorrow and Bliss

'A multi-layered family drama that sings with emotion'

GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

'A smart yet tender page-turner'

ERIN KELLY

Mary has raised a family in this house. She's watched her daughters play and laugh and bicker in its rooms. And now, on a late summer's day, she's getting married here . . . and has summoned her fractured family to celebrate.

In the place that's been a sanctuary for some and a battleground for others, the long-awaited reunion unfolds. But as each guest's memories, secrets and tensions rise to the surface, can the festivities help mend broken bonds and heal bruised hearts, or are some things impossible to forgive - even when it's family?

'Immersive and beautifully written' RED

'Intriguing, gripping, moving' MARIAN KEYES

'Unfolds like a great piece of theatre' BOBBY PALMER

'Beautifully rendered' DAILY EXPRESS

'Absorbing and unexpected' REBECCA WAIT

'Guaranteed to keep you on your tiptoes' METRO

'A warmly emotional read' DAILY MAIL

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

Kate Sawyer worked as an actor and producer, and wrote several short films before turning her hand to fiction. Her debut novel, The Stranding, was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, won the East Anglian fiction prize, was adapted for BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and is being developed for TV by Fremantle and Afua Hirsch's production company Born In Me.

Kate is the host of Novel Experience, a weekly podcast where she talks to authors about their writing practices and the experiences that brought them to, through and beyond publication.

After twenty years living in London, she recently returned to her native East Anglia, where, as a solo mother by choice, she lives with her young daughter.

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