At the Table

A 2022 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR for THE TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, RED, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING AND CRITIC `The kind of rare story you want to nosedive into on a hot hungover weekend and slurp down like iced coffee - cold, sweet and quenching . . . a summer read to devour with suncream and spilt rose - and then lend to your mum or your daughter` The Times `At the Table is a hugely intelligent, emotionally astute novel about family dynamics, and Claire Powell is an incredible new talent` Marian Keyes `An assured, exquisitely drawn novel that fans of Sorrow And Bliss will adore` Sarra Manning, Red magazine To Nicole and Jamie Maguire, their parents seem the ideal couple - a suburban double act, happily married for more than thirty years. So when Linda and Gerry announce that they`ve decided to separate, the news sends shockwaves through the siblings` lives, forcing them to confront their own expectations and desires. Hardworking - and hard-drinking - Nicole pursues the ex she unceremoniously dumped six years ago, while people-pleasing Jamie fears he`s sleepwalking into a marriage he doesn`t actually want. But as the siblings grapple with the pressures of thirtysomething life, their parents struggle to protect the fragile facade of their own relationship, and the secrets they`ve both been keeping. Set in 2018, Claire Powell`s beautifully observed debut novel follows each member of the Maguire family over a tumultuous year of lunches, dinners and drinks, as old conflicts arise and relationships are re-evaluated. A gripping yet tender depiction of family dynamics, love and disillusionment, At the Table is about what it means to grow up - both as an individual, and as a family.