When We Were Bad : the dazzling, Women's Prize-shortlisted novel from the author of The Exhibitionist

Author: Mendelson, Charlotte

London, Greater London

Published on 17 August 2023 by PAN MACMILLAN (Picador) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 336 pages
198 x 128 x 20 | 242g

When We Were Bad is a spellbinding, witty and poignant portrayal of a family in crisi, in love, and in denial.

'As intelligent as it is funny. A beautifully observed literary comedy as well as a painfully accurate description of one big old family mess. A joy' - ObserverIn North London, Claudia Rubin is in her heyday. Wife, mother, rabbi - and sometimes moral voice of the nation - everyone wants to be with her at her son Leo's glorious wedding. That is, until Leo jilts his bride, and the gleaming bubble surrounding the Rubins threatens to burst.

Frances - Claudia's calm, mature, married daughter - tries to hold the nucleus of the family together, but the stress forces her to re-examine her own life, leading her to make a decision as shocking as Leo's choice to bolt.

And Claudia's husband, Norman, has an uncharacteristic secret. And, whether he likes it or not, he is powerless to stop it coming out . . .

'A comedy with the warmest of hearts and the most deliciously subversive of agendas' - Marie Claire'Fast-paced and engaging. Brilliant, touching and true' - Naomi Alderman, bestselling author of The Power