Natural Disaster
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Natural Disaster
Unfolding across 24 hours, Natural Disaster is a propulsive, darkly funny and sharply observed novel about a woman trying to construct the perfect day for her and her children - from the acclaimed author of Not Working.
'I absolutely loved it . . . Funny, dark, absurd, pin-sharp, insightful, propulsive, unputdownable' NINA STIBBE
'Hilarious, brilliant, utterly exhilarating' MONICA ALI
'Eminently readable, recognisable and reassuring. It's fantastic' JESSIE BURTON
'Lisa Owens asks what it is to be a mother - and this is the answer. I absolutely loved it' LUCY DIAMOND
'Very funny and very, very relatable' STYLIST, 2026 BEST FICTION PICKS
'A thunderously good novel' NATHAN FILER
One perfect day. A million catastrophes.
For weeks, she has been saying it will be their special day. One last, perfect day with her children before she returns to work after maternity leave.
What's the worst that can happen?
Unfolding across 24 hours, Natural Disaster is a propulsive, darkly funny and sharply observed novel about the absurd, frustrating, hilarious, precarious, bittersweet, sometimes astonishing challenge - literal, existential - of being a woman, a mother, a wife, a person for one single, entire day.
'Heartbreakingly astute and wincingly relatable, Natural Disaster is also the funniest novel I've read in years' CLAIRE POWELL, author of At the Table
'Brilliant and funny and all so searingly, hilariously true. A genuinely dazzling novel. And there is so much love in it too' DAVID WHITEHOUSE, author of Saltwater Mansions
'Destined to become a classic' JESSICA STANLEY, author of CONSIDER YOURSELF KISSED
'I loved it. What a perfect depiction of early motherhood, womanhood, and love' OLIVIA POTTS, author of A Half Baked Idea
'I absolutely adored it. A masterfully drawn portrait of modern motherhood, hilarious and harrowing by turns' EMMA HUGHES, author of It's Complicated
'Generous, funny, heartbreaking and clever - a parenting caper with profound emotional clarity. I loved it' LIZZY STEWART, author of Alison
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780349020242
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 25 June 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Virago Press Ltd
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 22.0mm
Width: 135.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 208
About the Author
Lisa Owens is a novelist and screenwriter. Her debut novel Not Working was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime, and published to wide critical acclaim. Her short fiction has appeared in the Irish literary magazine The Stinging Fly. Lisa's first screenplay Days of the Bagnold Summer was nominated for a BIFA (Best Debut Screenwriter), and she currently has screen projects in development with Heyday Films and BBC Films.
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