Did You Ever Have A Family

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ' LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD; MAN BOOKER PRIZE; PEN/ROBERT W. BINGHAM PRIZE; AND ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE ' AN ALA NOTABLE BOOK ' NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Amazon ' Library Journal ' Booklist ' NPR ' Kirkus Reviews ' Guardian ' St. Louis Post-Dispatch ' Google Play ' Kobo ' Literary Hub ' Powell's ' Indie Next List Hailed as 'masterly' by The New York Times Book Review; 'a brilliantly constructed debut set in the aftermath of catastrophic loss' (2015 Man Booker Prize Judges). The stunning debut novel from bestselling author Bill Clegg is a magnificently powerful story about a circle of people who find solace in the least likely of places as they cope with a horrific tragedy. On the eve of her daughter's wedding; June Reid's life is completely devastated when a shocking disaster takes the lives of her daughter; her daughter's fiancé; her ex-husband; and her boyfriend; Luke'her entire family; all gone in a moment. And June is the only survivor. Alone and directionless; June drives across the country; away from her small Connecticut town. In her wake; a community emerges; weaving a beautiful and surprising web of connections through shared heartbreak. From the couple running a motel on the Pacific Ocean where June eventually settles into a quiet half-life; to the wedding's caterer whose bill has been forgotten; to Luke's mother; the shattered outcast of the town'everyone touched by the tragedy is changed as truths about their near and far histories finally come to light. Elegant and heartrending; and one of the most accomplished fiction debuts of the year; Did You Ever Have a Family is an absorbing; unforgettable tale that reveals humanity at its best through forgiveness and hope. At its core is a celebration of family'the ones we are born with and the ones we create.