The Favourite

(Paperback)

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Description

'I don't think I've ever read a more assured or compelling debut. This is beautifully written, sometimes sad, often funny.' - Elly Griffiths. Welcome to the dark heart of the family - the secrets we keep, the illusions of memory, and the relationships we feel bound to, but long to escape.Siblings Edward and Isobel Vernon haven't spoken in years and live on opposite sides of the Atlantic. When their mother Mary dies unexpectedly, they are thrown together to sort through the family home. With Edward's diffident but devoted girlfriend, Julie, making an awkward threesome, each stumbles through the practicalities of funeral preparation and house clearing, trying to make sense of their emotions and their feelings toward one another.Isobel makes a disturbing discovery and her fateful decision has consequences for all of them, challenging their beliefs about the past, hopes for the future and understanding of Mary's role in keeping them at once apart and together.This utterly immersive novel is rich with insightful and wickedly comic observations of family members behaving badly in stressful situations. It is a novel of sibling rivalries and relationships, the dilemma of a parent torn between the two, the untidiness of a sudden death and a grieving process that takes time to unfold. Beginning in a small coastal town during the Spring Bank Holiday, the novel moves forward through the point of view of each of the characters in turn, and culminates on Christmas Eve.

Reviews

'I don't think I've ever read a more assured or compelling debut. This is beautifully written, sometimes sad, often funny.' Elly Griffiths; 'The tensions are both funny and tender in this assured debut.' Elle Book of the Month; 'The writing is stylish and mature, eloquent and flowing. And there are few who read this [novel] who will not identify with the human dynamics in the story. There is a sensitive understanding of what grief and bereavement do to you. And there is also an understanding of what people do to one another when they are unable to communicate effectively... This is an intelligent piece of work and this writer deserves a lot of credit.' New Books; 'Only our blood relations truly know how to push our buttons, and S.V.Berlin captures every detail of family fallouts in The Favourite.' Good Housekeeping; 'Berlin crafts her characters with aplomb... Particularly admirable is the often darkly comic tone she employs to deal with such stigmatised themes as death and estrangement. S.V. Berlin is very much a writer to watch.' Disclaimer Magazine; 'Original, surprising, and immensely skilled... twisting in unexpected directions and keeping the reader on their toes throughout. Underneath the gentle suburban drama, here is an intricately crafted plot featuring three fascinating characters - this is a fantastically assured debut.' Bookbag

Author Bio

S. V. Berlin was born and raised in London. She has worked as a copywriter, facilitator, speechwriter and wilderness Search-and-Rescue professional. She lives in Manhattan.