A Family Matter

Lynch’s subtle and powerful debut novel (after the memoir Small: On Motherhood) centers on a family torn apart by a long-ago custody battle in a small English village. When Heron Barnes is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he can’t manage to tell his daughter, Maggie, whom he normally shares everything with. A parallel narrative set in 1982 follows Heron’s wife, Dawn, at 23, when Maggie is three. Dawn is captivated by Hazel, a teacher new to town, and the women begin an affair. After Dawn confesses to Heron, he throws her out. She continues to dote on Maggie until a solicitor suggests to Heron he attempt to gain full custody to protect Maggie from Dawn’s influence. Back in the present, Maggie’s grade schooler son asks Heron questions for a history project that Maggie herself has never been able to ask about her long-lost mother. When Maggie finally learns her father is dying, she goes through his papers and uncovers surprising details about the past, which run contrary to what she was told as a child. As the two narratives coalesce, Lynch devastatingly captures the homophobic prejudices of the era. Readers will be heart-struck. Agent: Sarah Fuentes, UTA. (June)