A Family Matter

Winner of the Nero Gold Prize – a heartbreaking and unforgettable story of family secrets that everyone is talking about this summer ‘I’ll be thinking about it for ever’ Barbara Kingsolver ‘A gorgeously written story…a must-read’ Jennie Godfrey ‘I was caught up from the first page and completely taken aback by this story. I loved it’ Clare Chambers 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. ‘One of those books that takes up residence inside of you and welds itself onto your soul' Nigella Lawson ‘Powerful and beautifully written… Lynch is a huge new talent in fiction' Good Housekeeping , Book of the Month 'A beautiful and tender exploration of parental love, prejudice and the things we carry' Rachel Joyce ‘A brilliant book… Full of heart, sympathy and sadness’ Sara Pascoe ‘A triumph! Like the great Maggie O’Farrell, Claire Lynch deals brilliantly with both big themes and small moments’ Elin Hilderbrand ‘Smart and heartbreaking’ Guardian ***READERS ARE IN LOVE WITH A FAMILY MATTER*** ‘I would rate this 10 stars if I could’ ‘Utterly brilliant, I was captivated from page one’ ‘This book had my whole heart and more’ ‘A beautiful, heartbreaking, important book’ ‘I can’t get the story out of my head’ ‘It totally broke my heart’ ‘I’ll be thinking of these characters for a long time to come’

Winner of the Nero Gold Prize – a heartbreaking and unforgettable story of family secrets that everyone is talking about this summer ‘I’ll be thinking about it for ever’ Barbara Kingsolver ‘A gorgeously written story…a must-read’ Jennie Godfrey ‘I was caught up from the first page and completely taken aback by this story. I loved it’ Clare Chambers 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. ‘One of those books that takes up residence inside of you and welds itself onto your soul' Nigella Lawson ‘Powerful and beautifully written… Lynch is a huge new talent in fiction' Good Housekeeping , Book of the Month 'A beautiful and tender exploration of parental love, prejudice and the things we carry' Rachel Joyce ‘A brilliant book… Full of heart, sympathy and sadness’ Sara Pascoe ‘A triumph! Like the great Maggie O’Farrell, Claire Lynch deals brilliantly with both big themes and small moments’ Elin Hilderbrand ‘Smart and heartbreaking’ Guardian ***READERS ARE IN LOVE WITH A FAMILY MATTER*** ‘I would rate this 10 stars if I could’ ‘Utterly brilliant, I was captivated from page one’ ‘This book had my whole heart and more’ ‘A beautiful, heartbreaking, important book’ ‘I can’t get the story out of my head’ ‘It totally broke my heart’ ‘I’ll be thinking of these characters for a long time to come’

**WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025** No one need know about her mother's deviation A mother following her heart A father with the law on his side A child caught in the middle 'I'll be thinking about it forever' Barbara Kingsolver 'Powerful ...smart and often heartbreaking' Guardian 'A brilliant book... Full of heart, sympathy and sadness' Sara Pascoe 'I was caught up from the first page' Clare Chambers 'I am in awe... a must read' Jennie Godfrey 'Beautifully written' Good Housekeeping, Book of the Month 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. At once heart-breaking and hopeful, A Family Matter asks how we might heal from the wounds of the past, and what we might learn from them. 'A beautiful and tender exploration of parental love, prejudice and the things we carry' RACHEL JOYCE Goodreads Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2025 ***READERS ARE IN LOVE WITH A FAMILY MATTER*** 'I would rate this 10 stars if I could' 'Utterly brilliant, I was captivated from page one' 'This book had my whole heart and more' 'A beautiful, heartbreaking, important book'

**WINNER OF THE NERO BOOK AWARDS GOLD PRIZE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025** No one need know about her mother's deviation A mother following her heart A father with the law on his side A child caught in the middle 'I'll be thinking about it forever' Barbara Kingsolver 'Powerful ...smart and often heartbreaking' Guardian 'A brilliant book... Full of heart, sympathy and sadness' Sara Pascoe 'I was caught up from the first page' Clare Chambers 'I am in awe... a must read' Jennie Godfrey 'Beautifully written' Good Housekeeping, Book of the Month 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. At once heart-breaking and hopeful, A Family Matter asks how we might heal from the wounds of the past, and what we might learn from them. 'A beautiful and tender exploration of parental love, prejudice and the things we carry' RACHEL JOYCE Goodreads Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2025 ***READERS ARE IN LOVE WITH A FAMILY MATTER*** 'I would rate this 10 stars if I could' 'Utterly brilliant, I was captivated from page one' 'This book had my whole heart and more' 'A beautiful, heartbreaking, important book'

A young wife following her heart. A husband with the law on his side. Their daughter, caught in the middle. Forty years later, a family secret changes everything in this "perfect" (Elin Hilderbrand) debut novel. 1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that's impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter. 2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He's an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child--the person around whom his life has revolved--seems impossible. Heron can't tell her about his diagnosis, just as he can't reveal all the other secrets he's been keeping from her for so many years. A Family Matter is a heartbreaking and hopeful exploration of love and loss, intimacy and injustice, custody and care, and whether it is possible to heal from the wounds of the past in the changed world of today.

A young wife following her heart. A husband with the law on his side. Their daughter, caught in the middle. Forty years later, a family secret changes everything in this "perfect" (Elin Hilderbrand) debut novel. 1982. Dawn is a young mother, still adjusting to life with her husband, when Hazel lights up her world like a torch in the dark. Theirs is the kind of connection that's impossible to resist, and suddenly life is more complicated, and more joyful, than Dawn ever expected. But she has responsibilities and commitments. She has a daughter. 2022. Heron has just received news from his doctor that turns everything upside down. He's an older man, stuck in the habits of a quiet existence. Telling Maggie, his only child--the person around whom his life has revolved--seems impossible. Heron can't tell her about his diagnosis, just as he can't reveal all the other secrets he's been keeping from her for so many years. A Family Matter is a heartbreaking and hopeful exploration of love and loss, intimacy and injustice, custody and care, and whether it is possible to heal from the wounds of the past in the changed world of today.