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What a gentle wonder of a book this is.

Seamlessly switching between the early 1980s and the present day, A Family Matter is largely the story of a father and daughter who grew up together, alone. Heron (Henry) was a young father who suddenly found himself raising a young girl on his own, and Maggie has no real memory of the mother who left her.

But it turns out that Heron has been keeping a secret from Maggie, and as he faces his own mortality the time has come to tell Maggie the truth.

I loved the pacing of this novel, and how easy it was to keep track of the different voices and characters. There are no caricatures here, and instead every single character, from Maggie's children to her grandmother, are hugely believable. No words are wasted in this novel and the sense of place is really strong despite the lightness of the author's touch. As someone the same age as Maggie, I related so strongly to her character.

Most importantly of all, Claire Lynch has opened up a part of history that I have never really stopped to consider and now can't quite believe happened as recently as it did.

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An absence at the heart

In 2022, pensioner Heron has had the worst news from his doctor, and now he has to share it with his daughter Maggie, but he doesn’t have the words, not for this nor for why he divorced her mother all those years ago. In 1982, Dawn’s marriage is in its early days but the passion, if it was ever there, seems to elude them. At least Dawn has her daughter Maggie to brighten her days. Until she meets Hazel, a new teacher at the local school, who sparks a new love in Dawn that she never knew before. Between these two timelines, and the secrets that divide them, is this eye-opening and tragic novel, that illuminates yet another open secret of the Thatcher era.

When I read books like this, I remember the advice that storied editor Robert Gottlieb gave to Rona Jaffe, to ‘look back in horror and write.’ You find the things that terrify you, the things you can’t believe are actually happening or have happened because they are so incredible and painful and unremitting, and you find a way to express that on the page.

I can see what Lynch is trying to do in this, contrasting the two timelines, giving us the stories of Dawn as a mother and at long last a lover, and Maggie as a mother, contemplating her own departure from her marriage. Heron is less well-written, going along with the mores of the time rather than making any actual decisions, and I neither hate him nor pity him. For me, the book veered between Dawn’s passions and Heron’s apathy, leaving a murky and unexplored centre which was where they, once, intersected; perhaps Maggie’s sections were meant to fill this space, but she was caught in time, neither past nor future, both little girl and mature woman, and besides had a narrative of her own.

Don’t get me wrong: I really liked the book but there is an absence at the heart of the book that I can’t define.

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Heartbreaking, this was a raw and painful book to read. I knew nothing before reading it, which I think made for the better reading experience. Witnessing Dawn and Maggie’s struggles first hand was painful and upsetting, as was the dual timeline with Heron’s modern day guilt. This book was layered with secrets, mistakes and wrong decisions. I wanted to reach into this story and give every character a hug. What an impactful book, with moving storytelling and writing.

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A Family Matter is a remarkable debut novel by Claire Lynch that has echoes of other recent novels for me (Show Me Where It Hurts, Soldier Sailor, Mayflies) in that it's a both deeply personal story and at the same time, holds a mirror up to society. "Those were just the times we lived in", people will often say when they reflect back on a decade, but they were usually made so by those in power.

A Family Matter tackles lesbian mothers in the UK in the 1980s, a fraught time when women in same-sex relationships faced profound discrimination, often excluded by law from playing any role in their children's lives. Lynch borrows from case law of the time and in her author's note sets out how Margaret Thatcher's introduction of the infamous section 28 law resulted in government-sponsored homophobia in British schools.

In a dual timeline of 1982 and 2022, we meet Heron and Dawn, a married couple who got together at a young age in line with society's expectations of them, and their young daughter Maggie. Life is upended when Dawn meets and falls in love with Hazel, a local schoolteacher. Dawn and Hazel have a instant and meaningful connection that means life will no longer ever be the same, but the consequences for Dawn's life as a mother to Maggie are devastating. 40 years later, we meet Maggie, married to Conor and looking after her elderly father Heron, when she finds out that the story her father told her about her mother may not be true.

I loved both the story and the author's style of writing - the prose is emotionally powerful and the story is very much grounded in the 1980s; the hostile climate of the time is palpable. The author's note at the end is devastating too, where she talks about how she borrowed from real-life court judgments in writing the novel.

It's worth pausing to note that we still have our own form of state-sponsored homophobia in Irish schools, just as existed in the UK in the 1980s following section 28. Children in almost 90% of Irish primary schools (under Catholic patronage) are not taught about same-sex relationships as part of RSE despite marriage equality being the law of the land since 2015. Not even the existence of same-sex relationships is acknowledged. This has to change.

A Family Matter was published by Penguin Books Ireland on 29 May and is widely available in all good bookshops and libraries. Many thanks to the publisher for the #gifted advance copy. Recommended. 4-4.5/5 stars

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A Family Matter is a moving, thoughtful debut that explores family secrets, love, and injustice through a dual timeline. In the present, Maggie cares for her dying father while uncovering her mother’s hidden 1980s romance with another woman—and the painful custody battle that followed.

Claire Lynch writes with quiet power, showing how prejudice and silence shaped a family. The 1980s storyline is especially strong, full of emotional nuance and historical weight, though the modern sections feel less vivid by comparison.

An elegant, compassionate novel that shines a light on a little‑remembered chapter of LGBTQ+ history.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

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This book is set in two timelines, In 1982 - Dawn, a young wife bored with her domestic life meets Hazel and this connection changes her life irrevocably. In 2022, Heron has gotten a devastating diagnosis and must inform his daughter Maggie. I found this story in 1982 to be quite shocking and sad. The laws from that time were unfair and I am quite pleased that such laws have changed though at great cost to families. Heron and Maggie's relationship was also believable, especially for people in a family that don't discuss difficult or upsetting topics. Overall, A difficult and informative read. I would highly recommend.

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage | Chatto & Windus in exchange for a free and honest review.

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Wow, what a heart felt story. I was absorbed with it. The writing style is excellent, hit where it needed!

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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A Family Matter is a story about a historical situation that is hard to comprehend; harrowing in that it is very recent history. I'm not going to say much else about the plot , I think it's best to go in blind, but be prepared to pull knives out of your heart and wipe a tear from your eye.

The three main characters Heron, Maggie and Dawn are developed with such empathy and compassion. The dual timeline provides a unique lens from which to see them all as victims of time, and also appreciate the progress society has made so far. This makes for a hopeful read, overall, despite the pain and sadness of the situation.

This is an incredibly special book that absolutely took my breath away in parts. The writing is powerful with the shortest of sentences delivering a huge impact. I loved it!!!

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Unbelievably only forty years ago.
How things have changed for the better.
This book is the story of Heron and his wife Dawn, they have a little girl Maggie, Dawn meets Hazel and falls in love with her, they decide to move in together. The battle for the custody of Maggie starts, the courts are against Lesbian Mothers and state the harm that can come to a child living in an unnatural relationship, The attacks by Heron's barrister are horrible and contrived. Heron is pushed into pursing the case by his Lawyers and his family, Letters are produced that passed between Dawn and Hazel, they are romantic but are misrepresented to the court.
Back to the present day, Heron is diagnosed with cancer but does not tell his daughter immediately. He has a good relationship with Maggie as he bought her up on his own, with some help from his Mother. Maggie has two children Tom and Olivia, they love heir Grandfather and when his cancer is revealed are upset. Maggie sees a lot of herself in Olivia, the way she is so close to her, but is gradually moving towards more independence, it makes her think of her own Mother Dawn and how she could abandon her at four years old.
Heron clears things from his loft and hands Dawn a folder. With pressure from her husband Connor, she tracks down her Mother and learns the truth.
This book is an insight into the plight of gay women in the 80's, discrimination and misunderstanding, also the close bond between a Mother and child.
Thank you Claire,NetGalley and Chatto & Windus for this ARC

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A small but powerful novella. Claire Lynch looks at the negative views against the LGBTQIA+ community in the early 80s. For me, what made A Family Matter stand out is that it wasn’t about gay men, it was about lesbians. I have often read stories from the perspective of the gay man and they can be absolutely heartbreaking; A Family Matter told the story of Dawn, a young mum who has realised that she is attracted to women. The story unfolds telling the reader about the harsh treatment she faced and the backlash she received by following her heart.

A Family Matter is small but it is mighty and one of the best books I have read this year.

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch is available now,

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This quietly stunning debut novel jumps in time between 1982 and 2022, laying out the inner workings of a small family turned upside down by a tragedy which didn’t need to happen. In 2022 Heron is an old man, his daughter Maggie his one remaining family member: he’s spent his life protecting his daughter and cannot bring himself to share his recent medical diagnosis with her – so instead, busies himself clearing cupboards and clutter, unsettling the past and disturbing documents containing the truth about the small family’s past. Back in 1982, young mother Dawn is stuck between wanting a life filled with love, or staying trapped in the situation she’s found herself in. Doing what’s right and staying put might cost her sanity, but doing what’s right for her will cost her everything. This spectacularly powerful novel blooms with emotion: the domesticity of the setting at odds with the soaring prose and heartbreaking choices facing each member of the family. The pages practically vibrate with the characters’ furious need to be true to themselves but also remain normal, to appear respectable, to not cause a fuss – yet the truth will out. The author’s historical note at the end of the story will break your already shattered heart into even smaller pieces, leaving you bereft for families torn apart in the past, and so grateful – and protective – of our society’s evolved thinking.

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This was a really well written, tender book. Interestingly I thought it was set in Ireland and was surprised to find out it was based in the UK.

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This was a genuinely heartbreaking book. It was filled with so much regret and shame and the author's note at the end was a sobering look at how different things were for women in the 1980s. The dual timeline worked so well and made the characters so well-rounded which was impressive considering how short the book is. I think that this story will be one that sticks with me for some time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this ARC.

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It’s 2022, and we meet Heron, an old man living on his own, and his daughter, Maggie, who has he raised by himself. Maggie has never known her mother and believes herself is to have been abandoned as a child. The story is told in two timelines, and when we move to 1982, we meet Dawn, Maggie mother, and discover the truth. This story was truly heartbreaking. Written in spare language not a word was wasted. I can’t quite believe how the novel at only 250 pages made me feel. The sign of an excellent book is when it leaves you wanting more and this book certainly did that.. A time that we should look back on with shame, and which I am appalled to say that I knew nothing about. A must read, and I highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.

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A deeply moving portrait of the fault lines in families and marriages, at its best in the smaller moments of description and character detail that add so much meaning to the wider story.

Not to spoil anything, but I particularly liked the lack of definite resolution Lynch provides to multiple relationships. In doing so, avoiding the saccharine and the melodramatic, she leaves the reader to make their own decisions.

An exciting author to watch for the future.

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A short, easy read but I didn't find it particularly engaging or involving. I enjoyed the author's notes the most, and think I would have preferred a non-fiction book about it instead.
It wasn't bad, it just didn't grip me at all.
Thanks NetGalley for my advance copy, all opinions are my own.

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We meet Heron in 2022. He's just found out from his doctor that he's dying. He doesn't know how he'll tell his daughter Maggie, who's the light of his life.

We slip back to 1982 & meet Dawn, Heron's wife. She's just met Hazel who she can't stop thinking about & who sets her world alight.

Heron needs to tell Maggie about the court case, about the real reason her mother isn't in her life, but he can't find the words as well as being reluctant to go back to that time.

While sorting his paperwork, he leaves the court papers aside for her, which leaves her reeling & all this time, her mother never forgot her & never gave up hoping.

I found it thought provoking, sad, it had me in tears. There's also some heartwarming moments. One of my favourite reads this year.

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At the start of the novel, an old man, Heron, is having to face up to the challenge of telling his daughter, Maggie, about a diagnosis which is probably terminal. It turns out that he has been having problems about telling things to Maggie for most of his life.

The narrative switches to 1982 and to a housewife, Dawn, who meets Hazel in an era where such relationships were considered perverse. Once exposed, Dawn is branded as a pervert and the Family Court considers that makes her a bad mother. She has no chance of gaining custody over Maggie and is driven out of her life. She makes a new life with Hazel.

Flash forward and Maggie thinks everything of her father, believing that her mother deserted her and the family. It is an event which has devastated her life.

It’s not difficult to see where this is going but it makes for an excellent story as the flashback structure emerges and takes shape. It turns out that Heron has been keeping a lot of things from Maggie!

The workings of the Family Court, properly researched by the author are horrific. It’s astonishing what was considered legitimate in 1982 and good to see how far the world has come since then.

It’s a very readable novel and avoids over romanticising the situations it describes while analysing them in detail. It’s well worth a read.

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Claire Lynch’s 'A Family Matter' is a heartbreaking look at family, history, and the stories that we tell or don't about our families. The narrative is told across dual timelines—1982 and 2022--and Lynch uses the dual timeline to help readers understand the history and background of Heron, Maggie and Dawn. Lynch's prose is sparse, but emotionally realistic and revealing. Lynch has a way of getting to the emotional core of the characters' unspoken pain and regrets. It's an incredibly moving book.

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I absoutely flew through this book, which follows the story of a family torn apart by the prejudices of the time. This novel is wonderfully character-driven, giving us a glimpse into each characters thoughts and feelings. Claire Lynch does a fantastic job portraying the compplicated emotions within this novel. I had no idea the extent of the prevalence of lesbophobia in the 80's, this book taught me a lot. The ending, despite all the complexities of this book, is hopeful and touching. I defiinitely recommend giving this one a go.

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