Description

‘About half way through this beautiful, expertly-stitched novel, I thought to myself, “Every woman needs to read this book”; by the end, I thought, “every human”. Moving, thought-provoking and profound, it’s one of my favourite reads of the last few years’ Louise Candlish, author of Our House

Fifteen years ago, Kate walked out on her family. Moving across the world, from the suburbs of England to glamorous LA, she cut all ties to her former existence and started afresh. Her ex-husband Andrew was left to pick up the pieces, caring for their disabled daughter and angry, confused son. But Kate’s past has finally caught up with her. Now, she must return to the life she abandoned and reckon with what she did.

Following a fractured family over a period of twenty years, This Could Be Us is an extraordinarily moving story of family, guilt, love and hope.

‘Brave, brilliantly structured, and beautifully written’ – Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
‘So truthful and rewarding’ – Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series
‘Captivating’ – Irish Independent

Publisher Review

‘So truthful and rewarding’ * Ian Rankin * ‘Such a complex and original take on the thorniest sides of families and relationships’ * Justin Myers * About half way through this beautiful, expertly-stitched novel, I thought to myself, ‘Every woman needs to read this book’; by the end, I thought, ‘every human’. Moving, thought-provoking and profound, it’s one of my favourite reads of the last few years * Louise Candlish, author of Our House * Brave, brilliantly structured, and beautifully written * Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us * Kate and Andrew’s family is torn asunder by the demands of a profoundly disabled child in this elegant, ambitious, beautiful novel. * Louise Candlish, Daily Express, Favourite Reads of the Year * This poignant and moving story signals a heartfelt and thoughtful change of direction from thriller writer McGowan * The Bookseller, ‘One to Watch’ * McGowan, an acclaimed writer of crime fiction, drew on her own family experience of caring for a disabled sibling to create a complex and ultimately forgiving story * Irish Times, The Gloss * The author’s own experience of having a disabled sibling makes it an emotive read * Good Housekeeping, Book of the Month * Captivating . . . A beautifully structured novel with the complexities of family at the heart of it, This Could Be Us allows the reader’s impressions of each character to shift throughout, as we are left to wonder what we might do in the same situation. As heart-warming as it is thought-provoking, the steady pace as the past slowly catches up to the present ensures you might be tempted to read just a few pages more, and more. * Irish Independent *