A Family Matter - Book Review

A Family Matter by Claire Lynch 
Publication: May 29, 2025
Pages: 240 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Maggie has always been close with her father, both because they love each other, and they don't have anyone else.

This emotional story told in a few different viewpoints over two timelines, has basis in fact, as explained in the author's note at the end. Dawn was an 'unfit mother' because of her deviation. After marrying Heron, and having a daughter, she met her true love. Her deviation wasn't adultery; she loved another women. And in the 1980s, being a good mother and being a lesbian were apparently mutually exclusive.

When Dawn first tells the truth to her husband, he's not sure what he should do, but at his attorney's advice, he soon changes the locks and bans Dawn completely from their daughter's life. This concise book is had to tell more of without spoiling, but it is definitely a strong historical message about the rights of women and families at the time. The frustration is real as multiple people tell the adult daughter that they were different times, but as awful as it sounds, the damage is done, and they're right - the choices and their consequences are those of a recent, but different, time.

The book was an honest look at what happened to real families. It earned 5 out of 5 stars as a succinct telling of a young girl's life when her parents aren't quite the people they each thought they were. I'd recommend this book to those who appreciate women's stories and family dramas.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my opinions or my review.