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Natural Disaster

'Hilarious, brilliant, utterly exhilarating’ (Monica Ali)
Brief Description
'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... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3799
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Releases 23rd June 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "Natural Disaster" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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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.

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'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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