The Unwilding

A stunning new novel of power, desire and the secrets all families carry, from the acclaimed author of Nightingale

When fledgling writer Zoe arrives at the Sicilian holiday home of famed novelist Don Travers, she feels that she has made it. And yet as the week unfolds it is not Don but his children and unknowable wife, Lydia, who come to intrigue Zoe most. On the fringes, Don’s youngest, Nemony, watches as her older siblings begin to navigate the treacherous waters of the adult world. When her adored oldest sister makes a terrible mistake, the holiday ends suddenly, shattering the fragile balance of their parents’ marriage and the siblings’ lives.

Many years later and in the wake of loss, the events of that summer continue to haunt. Nemony, now a lonely new mother herself, strikes up a chance friendship with Zoe. With her support, Nemony attempts to grapple with the casual damage enacted by her father. But as their relationship deepens, she is soon forced to question the true extent of Zoe’s fascination with the Travers family.

Tracing their lives through Sicily, London and the old mining towns of Appalachia, Nemony must uncover the stories untold – about her implacable father, her troubled mother, and the siblings she might still do anything for.

‘Compelling and fine and rich, I devoured it. A writer with great range’ (Tessa Hadley, author of After the Funeral)

‘Subtle, complex and ambitious … Recalls Ian McEwan’s Atonement’ (The Times)

‘A powerfully compelling dissection of the creative process … Masterly’ (Guardian)

‘I was riveted by this ambitious, immersive novel … What an achievement’ (Olivia Sudjic, author of Sympathy)

‘Written with consummate poise … I adored it’ (Lucy Caldwell, author of These Days)

‘Unbelievably good’ (Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie)

‘A powerful and emotional telling of complicated and destructive family dynamics … packed with secrets and suspense and vivid, masterfully drawn characters’ (Justin Myers, author of The Fake-Up)

‘Tense and atmospheric and beautifully written’ (Rosie Price, author of What Red Was)

‘Exquisitely written, subtle and transporting … A beautiful and thought-provoking novel’ (Sussie Anie, author of To Fill A Yellow House)

‘Unflinching, magnificent’ (Karen Powell, author of Fifteen Wild Decembers)

‘A sophisticated, emotionally complex novel … I was gripped’ (Edmund Gordon, author of The Invention of Angela Carter)