A Family Matter: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Novel
Claire Lynch
Jun 2025 · Simon and Schuster · Narrated by Miranda Raison
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4 hr 41 min
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A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • WINNER OF THE NERO GOLD PRIZE • “Burns like a sparkler, quick and mesmerizing.” —The New York Times • Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize
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 “quietly heart-scorching” (Barbara Kingsolver) 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 an “intricately layered and infinitely nuanced” (Oprah Daily) 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 “quietly heart-scorching” (Barbara Kingsolver) 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 an “intricately layered and infinitely nuanced” (Oprah Daily) 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 READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • WINNER OF THE NERO GOLD PRIZE • “Burns like a sparkler, quick and mesmerizing.” —The New York Times • Longlisted for the Aspen Words Literary Prize
A young wife following her heart. A husband with the law on his side. Their daughter, caught...
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Ratings and reviews
1 review
Mary
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June 25, 2025
I enjoyed the way this book was written, however it would have been nice to have the story extended. Also, at first I wasn't sure if all of the characters introduced were connected but that becomes clear with additional reading.
About the author
Claire Lynch has a doctorate from the University of Oxford and is a professor of English and creative writing. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post and on BBC Radio. She lives in Windsor, England, with her wife and three daughters.
Claire Lynch has a doctorate from the University of Oxford and is a professor of English and creative writing. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post and on BBC Radio. She lives in Windsor, England, with her wife and three daughters.
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