A Family Matter

A Read with Jenna Pick: A Novel

By: Claire Lynch

Narrated by: Miranda Raison

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.

Critic reviews

"Miranda Raison’s understated performance complements this quietly profound production...Raison’s emotionally attuned delivery of the characters’ inner lives reveals a complex family portrait and ultimate renewal. A masterfully paced, thoughtfully narrated, and deeply impactful audiobook.

Sadness and Heartache You Need to Feel

This is brutal and important reading/listening. We’re further along in the journey to equality for all, but there is more to do.

A real and believable and important story about a family that should never have gone through such trauma.

A real and believable and important story about a family that should never have gone through such trauma.

Powerful and emotional listen.

This story explores the sad corrupt reality of society secrets, forgiveness, and the ties that bind. This is one to add to your library.

Good story

Short, easy read. I would have enjoyed more details in the beginning but overall good storyline

It's a poignant story, sadly based on facts.

Well written and deeply personal. It reminds me of how far along human rights have come.