Cousins

‘A wonderful book. Salley Vickers spins a spellbinding account of a family in distress’ Elizabeth Strout

Will Tye, a teenage boy from a middle-class, suburban family, develops his first intense crush on a girl. But this familiar love story has a dark twist - the girl is his own cousin Cecelia. News of the infatuation spreads through generations of the complex and eccentric Tye family, leaving ripples of resentment and disquiet. When Will experiences a life-changing accident, Cecelia is the most closely affected by his suffering - and her own life is forever changed by how she will respond to it.

Told through the eyes of three women close to Will, his sister, his grandmother and his aunt, Cousins takes us from the outbreak of the Second World War to the present day, exploring the recurrence of tragedy, the nature of transgression, and the limits of morality and love.