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A Family Matter

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A Family Matter

By: Claire Lynch
Narrated by: Miranda Raison
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

A mother following her heart
A father with the law on his side
A child caught in the middle


It’s 2022, and Heron, an old man of quiet habits, has just had the sort of visit to the doctor that turns a life upside down. Sharing the diagnosis with Maggie, his only daughter, seems impossible. Heron just can’t find the words to tell her about it, or any of the other things he’s been protecting her from for so long.

It’s 1982, and Dawn is a young wife and mother penned in by the expectations of her time and place. Then Hazel comes into her life like a torch in the dark. It’s the kind of connection that’s impossible to resist, and suddenly Dawn’s world is more joyful, and more complicated, than she ever expected. But Dawn has responsibilities, she has commitments: Dawn has Maggie.

A Family Matter is an immersive and tender debut, at once heart-breaking and hopeful, that asks how we might heal from the wounds of the past, and what we might learn from them.

© Claire Lynch 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Family Life Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Heartfelt Tear-jerking
All stars
Most relevant  
Beautifully written story of the recent past in Britain The shocking & often inhumane actions that were taken against lesbian mothers all in the name of protecting the family. In a time of great advances how fragile are our rights.

An Important Book

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