Brilliant new novels featuring dysfunctional families
Here at Readings we love stories that explore difficult families dynamics – from Leo Tolstoy’s enduring story of Anna Karenina, to the shifting allegiances and political manoeuvres in George R.R. Martin’s bloodthirsty Game of Thrones series; from a tense dinner between two brothers in Herman Koch’s The Dinner to an overbearing, erratic father in Christina Stead’s Australian classic The Man Who Loved Children.
Here are some recent new releases featuring even more wonderful, fantastic stories about dysfunctional families…
The Turner House by Angela Flournoy
The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone-and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit’s East Side, the loss of a father. But when ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage.
Bookseller Deborah Crabtree says: “This is a debut that deserves to find its way into every literary prize worth mentioning.”
The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
When Leo Plumb drives off drunk from a party in a sports car with a 19-year-old waitress in tow, his siblings are less than pleased. Their brother’s rehab costs have severely depleted ‘the nest’ – the family’s joint trust fund that would have cut them loose from their myriad financial issues. Now, the Plumb siblings must grapple with old resentments and present-day truths to find a solution.
Readings Monthly editor Elke Power says: “D’Aprix Sweeney is a wry observer of human foibles; her characters, with their various quirks, flaws and wavering delusions, are immediately appealing.”
My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout
A mother comes to visit her daughter in hospital after having not seen her in many years. Her unexpected visit forces the daughter to confront her past, uncovering long-buried memories of a profoundly impoverished childhood; and her present, awakening her to the reality of her faltering marriage.
Marketing manager Nina Kenwood says: “Strout’s writing sneaks up on you. She weaves bleakness into the novel carefully, steering you gently into the saddest of places.”
Between a Wolf and a Dog by Georgia Blain
A family therapist, Ester’s own relationships are as tense and frayed as her patients’; she’s estranged from both her sister, April, and her ex-husband, Lawrence. As she struggles with falling in love again, April and Lawrence are battling through their own messy lives, and Ester mother, Hilary, is facing the most significant decision she’ll ever have to make.
Marketing and events coordinator Stella Charls says: “Beautiful, sensitive and unsettling; I urge you to read it.”
AND TWO AUSTRALIAN DEBUTS TO WATCH OUT FOR…
The Healing Party by Micheline Lee
When her mother is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Natasha returns to the home she fled many years before. Her father, a Charismatic Christian, has not changed – he is still the domineering yet magnetic man she remembers. One night he reveals that he has received a message from God that his wife is to be healed, and they must hold a party to celebrate.
Due to be released in June
Ruins by Rajith Savanadasa
In the bustling streets, overcrowded hospitals and glittering nightclubs of Colombo, five family members find their bonds stretched to breaking point in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war. As the five leave Colombo to travel to an ancient city, the generations collide and long-held prejudices are revealed.
Due to be released in July
