A Family Matter Audiobook By Claire Lynch cover art

A Family Matter

A Novel

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A Family Matter

By: Claire Lynch
Narrated by: Miranda Raison
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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
Family Life Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Marriage Heartfelt
Beautifully Written • Masterful Storytelling • Well-drawn Characters • Historical Significance • Emotional Connection
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Short, easy read. I would have enjoyed more details in the beginning but overall good storyline

Good story

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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.

deeply moving

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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.

So incredibly sad…

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

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

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

Powerful presentation

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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.

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

Powerful and emotional listen.

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

A tragedy in beautiful way of listening

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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.

A Family Matter

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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.

Just OK

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