Every Happy Family

Praise for Other Parents‘Deft, wry and perceptive, this drama targets class and modern parenting’Daily Mail‘Stovell’s novel is a smart, wry and witty look at some of the pit-falls of modern life’The Sun‘PTA politics, school gate tensions, the perils of living in a small town where everyone knows your business – both funny and engaging while tackling some serious stuff’Jane Fallon‘A well-told (and latterly suspenseful) story that examines some tricky contemporary issues’Daily Express‘I only put it down when I finished it! Cringe-inducing, agonising, truthful, heartbreaking and hilarious’Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal‘Known for the crime thriller Exquisite, Sarah Stovell follows up with this equally tense novel … an equally hilarious and gripping read that’s sure to linger long after you’ve finished’OK!‘Funny, moving, insightful and so sharp on the politics of the school gate and beyond. Couldn’t put it down’Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request‘A gripping, thought-provoking read with the pace and tension of a thriller. This will have book clubs debating for hours and is set to be one of the most talked-about books of 2022’HELLO!‘Examines some tricky contemporary issues, exploring how our society has become polarised and why more and more people hold such rigid and strident views. It’s also very funny’Daily Mirror‘Clever, thought-provoking and darkly funny. Tackles big issues with a light hand’Tina Baker, author of Call Me Mummy‘A searing exploration of British class politics and the tensions and prejudices of UK rural life’The Bookseller‘An astute and gripping page-turner that takes many hot topics and examines them from every angle … Genuinely original and utterly compelling’NJ Mackay, author of Found Her‘A proper page-turner’Woman‘This story about the politics and dark undercurrents of a school community is sharp, compelling, and thought-provoking, with a cast of characters who live and breathe on the page’Amanda Jennings, author of The Cliff House‘Topical issues and wry observations abound in this relatable novel … Stovell is one to watch’Woman & Home‘Loved it from page one. Fully immersive with beautifully realised characters and a plot that tackled some huge, important issues. This is the kind of book I crave’Emily Edwards, author of The Herd‘A timely and intoxicating firecracker of a drama packed with small town secrets, politics and prejudice, and fractured and blended families, set in a picture perfect rural setting that belies the dark realities of modern life. With some characters you’ll love, and others love to hate – it’s an absolutely brilliant read – thoughtful, thought provoking and always supremely entertaining’Best‘I absolutely loved Other Parents and raced through it in less than 48 hours. Completely gripping, original and so well-observed’Nancy Tucker, author of The First Day of Spring‘The school playground has never been this entertaining … funny, moving, complicated and sometimes a bit twisted … If you enjoyed Big Little Lies then there are echoes of it here … Read and enjoy it now and revisit it in a year or two when the inevitable Netflix miniseries launches’MyLondon SARAH STOVELL was born in Kent in 1977 and now lives in Northumberland with her partner and two children. She has an MA and a PhD in creative writing and is a lecturer in creative writing at Lincoln University. She also runs affordable online creative writing courses and mentoring for burgeoning novelists. For more information, visit sarahstovell.podia, or follow her on Twitter @sarahlovescrime.Sarah is the author of five previous novels, Mothernight, The Night Flower, Exquisite, The Home and Other Parents. Exquisite was chosen by The Times as one of the top 40 crime novels of the past 5 years. Also by Sarah StovellMothernightThe Night FlowerExquisiteThe HomeOther Parents CopyrightAn imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd1 London Bridge StreetLondon SE1 9GFwww.harpercollins.co.ukHarperCollinsPublishersMacken House, 39/40 Mayor Street Upper,Dublin 1, D01 C9W8, IrelandThis edition 2023First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2023Copyright © Sarah Stovell 2023Sarah Stovell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.Source ISBN: 9780008441661Ebook Edition © MARCH 2023 ISBN: 9780008441685Version 2023-03-09 Note to ReadersThis ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings: Change of font size and line heightChange of background and font coloursChange of fontChange justificationText to speechPage numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008441661 For Mum and KeithandDad and Penny ContentsCoverPraiseAbout the AuthorBooklistTitle PageCopyrightNote to ReadersDedicationChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55AcknowledgementsExtract 1Extract 2Chapter 1About the Publisher 1PRESENT DAYLizzieAt the last moment, Lizzie decided against the heart-print dungarees. Ruby, her perennially embarrassed thirteen-year-old, said she’d seen a toddler wearing the same ones in Aldi last week. On top of that, Lizzie’s mother, who lived in constant dread of what her adult children were going to inflict on her next, would take one look at them and decide Lizzie had become a lesbian. Not, of course, that there was anything wrong with that. Minnie Plenderleith might be in her seventies, but her outlook was modern and her views liberal. It was just that she already had a gay daughter and a son she could hardly