Bad Relations

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Brought to you by Penguin.

A TALE OF A TRAGEDY SEEPING THROUGH GENERATIONS, AND A FAMILY FRACTURED BY HISTORY AND DESIRE

On the battlefields of the Crimea, William Gale cradles the still-warm body of his brother. William's experience of war will bring about a change in him that will reverberate through his family over the next two centuries.
In the 1970s, William's descendants invite Stephen, a distant relation, to stay in their house in the English countryside - but their golden summer entanglements will end in a shocking fall from grace.

Half a century later, a confrontation between the surviving members of the family will culminate in a terrible reckoning.

'A writer who seems able to peer directly into the human heart' John Preston

© Cressida Connolly 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

A ravishing novel from the great family saga-teller Cressida Connolly and an honourable tribute to the past
The Times, Best Books for the Summer
Connolly's vivid characterisation, supple prose and striking imagery sweep you along, in an absorbing and affecting saga that uses one family's story to anatomise the different stages of grief
Daily Telegraph
In recent British fiction I can think only of Tessa Hadley who rivals Connolly in exacting such intricate, compelling drama from close-knit families . . . I don't often wish a book were longer, but this one I did
Observer
Masterful . . . a joy to see it garnering the ecstatic reviews it deserves
Polly Samson, author of A Theatre for Dreamers
Moving [and] powerful . . . Connolly's vividly drawn characters grapple with trauma, unkindness and greed in an intriguing novel where past actions reverberate in the present
Daily Mirror
Connolly, like Anne Tyler and Tessa Hadley, is a master of fluidly shifting perspectives, a sharply witty observer of social class, and a champion of imaginative empathy
Daily Mail
Bad Relations is an amazing achievement and one of the most satisfying books you're likely to read this year
The Times
Elegantly written, this subtle, satisfying, well-observed novel is a delight
Country and Town House, Books of 2022

Another fascinating, moving story from the author of After the Party

Good Housekeeping
This clever novel set across three timelines tells the story of a family haunted by tragedy. A skilfully written, powerful drama
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