A Family Matter - Claire Lynch

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

It’s 2022, and Heron, an old man of quiet habits, has just had the sort of visit to the doctor that turns a life upside down. Sharing the diagnosis with Maggie, his only daughter, seems impossible. Heron just can’t find the words to tell her about it, or any of the other things he’s been protecting her from for so long.

It’s 1982, and Dawn is a young wife and mother penned in by the expectations of her time and place. Then Hazel comes into her life like a torch in the dark. It’s the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly Dawn’s world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected. But Dawn has responsibilities, she has commitments: Dawn has Maggie.

A Family Matter is an immersive and tender debut, at once heart-breaking and hopeful, that asks how we might heal from the wounds of the past, and what we might learn from them.

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

It s 2022, and Heron, an old man of quiet habits, has just had the sort of visit to the doctor that turns a life upside down. Sharing the diagnosis with Maggie, his only daughter, seems impossible. Heron just can t find the words to tell her about it, or any of the other things he s been protecting her from for so long.

It s 1982, and Dawn is a young wife and mother penned in by the expectations of her time and place. Then Hazel comes into her life like a torch in the dark. It s the kind of connection that s impossible to resist, and suddenly Dawn s world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected. But Dawn has responsibilities, she has commitments: Dawn has Maggie.

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'