A Family Matter

A Novel

De: Claire Lynch

Narrado por: Miranda Raison

A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY • “Burns like a sparkler, quick and mesmerizing.” —The New York Times

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.

©2025 Claire Lynch (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Good story

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

deeply moving

I think the honor and respect the author paid to each character really made me feel connected to each of them. The story flows well between each perspective and varied timeline.

So incredibly sad…

Beautifully written book. Well performed audiobook. The story, itself, is so incredibly sad and a reminder of how far we’ve come…and, sadly, how far we can fall back as a society if not careful.

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.

Powerful presentation

Narration,character study,historical significance ,truthful storyline,careful development of a complex story,very memorable in every way.Bravo.

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.

A tragedy in beautiful way of listening

Very well written, very slow getting into it.so horrible how we humans treated such a simple subject.

A Family Matter

A sensitive handling of an important topic. The characters were realistic and well-drawn. The storyline showed the shift in societal views over the forty year period of time.

Just OK

Expected so much more! I was very interested in hearing about this subject matter and how things have changed, at least somewhat, for LGBTQ parents during divorce. The story itself was good, but I didn’t find it presented in a heart-warming fashion and many parts of the story were simply not plausible.