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Lonely Mouth

A delicious and darkly funny novel for foodies who love a side of family drama

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Lonely Mouth

By: Jacqueline Maley
Narrated by: Hannah Fredericksen
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Summary

Sink your teeth into a slice of family drama with this deliciously funny novel about sisterhood, secrets and the things you can't stomach.

Matilda knows about hunger. She works in one of Sydney's buzziest restaurants, Bocca, while suppressing her cravings, including for her celebrity chef boss, Colson. Everything in her life is tightly controlled: she allows herself one weekend a month to feast and purge, the rest of the time, she stays perfect.

That is, until her younger half-sister Lara crashes back into town, stirring up the family’s chaotic past and bringing long-buried family secrets to the surface. As the pressure rises in the kitchen and at home, Matilda’s carefully compartmentalised life begins to unravel.

A deliciously moreish book club novel about food, appetite, body image, family dysfunction and desire – perfect for readers looking for a smart summer holiday read.

‘Witty, savage and poignant’ NIGELLA LAWSON
'Humane and deeply, darkly humorous' MARINA KEMP, author of UNWILDING
'Gorgeous, mesmerising' CLAIRE POWELL, author of ALL IN

© Jacqueline Maley 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction World Literature Funny Witty

Critic Reviews

A song of abandonment, ghastly mothers, dysfunctional families, sisterhood and loss... Witty, savage and poignant (NIGELLA LAWSON)
[Lonely Mouth] is brilliant on how repressing the past rather than dealing with it means it’s always there, ready to ruin the present too
An incredible read about families, body image and the importance of letting go
Exploring themes of addiction, love, loss and abandonment, Maley’s nuanced novel feels like a pressure cooker ready to explode
Richly drawn, wry and utterly compelling. I devoured it in a weekend (FELICITY CLOAKE)
Lonely Mouth is humane and deeply, darkly humorous. Maley has a gift for character. Her cast of misfits stayed with me long after reading (MARINA KEMP, author of The Unwilding)
Packed full of gripping family dysfunction, we devoured this. Just don't read it when you're hungry!
Exploring desire , body image and dysfunctional families, Lonely Mouth will have you hooked
I'm so glad to have discovered Jacqueline Maley. She writes with wit, poise and precision, while her characters are devastatingly real. Lonely Mouth is a gorgeous, mesmerising novel (CLAIRE POWELL, author of At The Table)
Complex, layered, and gut-wrenching, Lonely Mouth laces personal trauma and family dysfunction with humour and humanity. A singularly rich and moreish novel – I couldn't get enough of it (GRAINNE O'HARE, author of Thirst Trap)
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