Wreck

The perfect summer read from the much-loved bestselling author of We All Want Impossible Things and Sandwich. In a new unifying look, a novel that reminds us what it means to be beautifully, messily human.

The New York Times bestseller. A wonderful novel full of laughter and heart, about marriage, family and what happens when life doesn't go as planned...

'The kind of book that pulls up a chair, pours the wine, and dives deep... like spending hours with the friend who sees your mess and loves you more for it.' — Alison Espach, author of The Wedding People

'I LOVE her work... the antidote to these times' — Marian Keyes

'A gorgeously human, tender-hearted, and delightfully funny exploration of the anxieties that beset all of us, and the loving relationships and irrepressible joy that gets us through' — Nussaibah Younis, author of Fundamentally

Rachel (Rocky) is seemingly living her best life as the irreverent, funny beating heart of her family. Her ageing father is his unique, adorable self; daughter Willa is prone to bouts of existential angst whilst berating the fact that her mother has zero filter; husband Nick is steady, logical, sometimes infuriating.

They are messy, they are flawed, they are completely, ridiculously normal.

And like most normal people, Rocky worries about what might happen next. So when a former classmate of her son Jamie dies in a seemingly random accident, Rocky becomes obsessed.

For if accidents can happen — and they do — is it truly safe to love anyone?

Fresh, honest, laugh out loud funny and genuinely relatable, Wreck follows Rocky and her family through one rollercoaster year as they negotiate the unpredictable and beautiful messiness of life.

Readers say:

'Wreck feels like Newman was writing directly to me. And what's so impressive is, I think many, many, many readers will feel like it was just for them too.'

'Feels like meeting up with old friends'

'It's like Catherine Newman knows exactly how I feel'

'I feel seen every time I read Catherine Newman's words'

'There is just some kind of magic in Catherine Newman's writing that makes me want to dog-ear every page'

Reviews say:

'Hugely enjoyable, absolutely real and thoughtful...Newman has an Ephron-esque gift for blending the sharp and the sad and an ability to let us love her creations.' — Observer

'Darkly funny, achingly emotional' — Woman & Home

'Insightful and totally relatable' — Good Housekeeping

'The new queen of the bittersweet novel' — Independent