The Unwilding

A stunning new novel of power, desire and the secrets all families carry, from the acclaimed author of Nightingale, Marina Kemp.

When fledgling writer Zoe arrives at the Sicilian holiday home of famed novelist Don Travers, she feels that she has made it. And yet as the week unfolds it is not Don but his children and unknowable wife, Lydia, who come to intrigue Zoe most. On the fringes, Don’s youngest, Nemony, watches as her older siblings begin to navigate the treacherous waters of the adult world. When her adored oldest sister makes a terrible mistake, the holiday ends suddenly, shattering the fragile balance of their parents’ marriage and the siblings’ lives.

Many years later and in the wake of loss, the events of that summer continue to haunt. Nemony, now a lonely new mother herself, strikes up a chance friendship with Zoe. With her support, Nemony attempts to grapple with the casual damage enacted by her father. But as their relationship deepens, she is soon forced to question the true extent of Zoe’s fascination with the Travers family.

Tracing their lives through Sicily, London and the old mining towns of Appalachia, Nemony must uncover the stories untold – about her implacable father, her troubled mother, and the siblings she might still do anything for.

About the Author

Marina Kemp is the author of Nightingale and The Unwilding, and has been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer and Times Breakthrough Artist Awards. She studied at Oxford and Goldsmiths and lives now in South London.

Reviews

"[A] powerfully compelling dissection of the creative process: —Guardian

"Subtle, complex and ambitious … recalls McEwan’s Atonement" —The Times

"Exquisitely written, subtle and transporting, The Unwilding is an absorbing exploration of family ties, memory, connection and the power of stories themselves. A beautiful and thought-provoking novel" —Sussie Anie, author of To Fill A Yellow House

"A sophisticated, emotionally complex novel about loyalty and betrayal, innocence and experience, memory and art. The Unwilding explores its characters’ blind spots and vulnerabilities with intelligence and compassion. I was gripped" —Edmund Gordon, author of The Invention of Angela Carter

"Ambitious, immersive … Kemp renders the danger inherent in what we desire with perceptive elegance, drawing out the tensions between child and adult worldviews, and the vulnerabilities of both. What an achievement" —Olivia Sudjic, author of Sympathy

Dimensions: 13.5 x 3.4 x 21.6 cm