Claire Lynch's debut novel, A Family Matter, winner of the Nero Gold prize for fiction, is now available as an audiobook. The story unfolds across two timelines, revealing family secrets and a bitter divorce rooted in 1980s homophobia.
The 2022 Timeline
In 2022, Heron, an older man, receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. Initially coping well, he eventually climbs into a supermarket freezer and must be coaxed out by staff. A creature of routine who prefers solitude, Heron is also practical. He enlists his only daughter, Maggie, to help sort through his house and paperwork.
Maggie is close to her father, who raised her alone after her mother, Dawn, supposedly deserted the family. However, while sifting through Heron's papers, Maggie discovers the real reason for her mother's estrangement.
The 1982 Timeline
The second timeline takes place in 1982, when young mother Dawn falls in love with a schoolteacher named Hazel. During the 1980s, family court judges held a dim view of homosexuality, believing children would be harmed by same-sex parents. Consequently, a devastated Dawn is separated from three-year-old Maggie, and Heron is granted full custody after their divorce.
Narration and Author's Note
Actor Miranda Raison narrates the audiobook, deftly handling the multiple voices. Lynch herself reads the author's note, explaining how her story was inspired by real-life lesbian mothers forcibly separated from their children in the 1980s. She reflects on the subsequent changes in attitudes and legislation, noting that “parenting possibilities can now feature in the imagined futures of LGBTQ+ relationships.” The audiobook, available via Vintage Digital, runs 4 hours and 41 minutes.
Further Listening Recommendations
Even the Good Girls Will Cry
Melissa Auf der Maur, the former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist, reads her memoir about her early life in Montreal, adventures in 1990s grunge-rock, and subsequent career as a songwriter and solo artist. Published by Atlantic Books, duration 13 hours 27 minutes.
Homework
Geoff Dyer's dryly funny memoir about coming of age in 1970s England is narrated by actor Leighton Pugh. Set in an end-of-terrace house in Cheltenham, Dyer's account of his childhood is low on drama but rich in observation and period detail. Published by Canongate, duration 10 hours 46 minutes.
