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A Sense of Occasion

Name: A Sense of Occasion
Price: 29.00 USD
Availability: InStock
Author: Brodie Crellin
ISBN: 9798217177394

Hardcover $29.00

Published on Jun 09, 2026 | 368 Pages

Buy from Other Retailers:

$29.00

Published on Jun 09, 2026 | 368 Pages

Buy from Other Retailers:

“Assured, perfectly paced, sexy and intelligent. . . I read it in a day; it was difficult to stop.” —Merve Emre

“A wonderful book, at once shrewd and ethereal.” —Chris Kraus

An electric, stylish—and very British—novel exploring the tensions and transgressions of relationships and sex, as one dysfunctional family gathers for a funeral

After Mary’s sudden death, a fractured family reunites in a small English village for a funeral over a hot summer weekend.

Patch is clearly overwhelmed by hosting a wake for her mother in her childhood home but is trying to muddle through, starting with the menu. Robin wants to support, but instead of assuming the role of responsible father, he heads to his former haunt: the lay-by where he used to meet farmers for sex.

Meanwhile, Jude is on her way from Naples, worrying less about her estranged cousin Patch and more about whether there’s a medicinal bag of cocaine in the trunk of her rental car. She hasn’t told the family she’s en route.

Thrown together in Mary’s tiny home, each member of the family is trying to feel something: to atone, to punish, to be better. But they rarely have one another’s best interests at heart, and as the connection between them twists and contorts, they lose sight of the rules and grasp toward anything that might make it all less painful.

Darkly funny, astute, and highly entertaining, A Sense of Occasion subverts and perverts expectations to explore the dysfunctional nature of family, relationships and sex, and the fractious desires that simmer beneath.

“Crellin’s technical talents and sentimentality allergy allow the cousins’ dynamic to gather weight and darkness like a storm cloud taking shape all day. By the time you clock the torrent, you’re already soaked.” —New York Magazine

“Accomplished [and] surprising. . . It’s a joy, too, to read fiction that understands sex so well. There is immense pleasure and vitality – and ultimately a great deal of tenderness – in A Sense of Occasion’s depiction of flawed, strange people who love badly, and can’t help but get in the way of themselves over and over again.” —Guardian

“Intelligent and sexy. . . a feast to behold. This steamy drama makes for great summer reading.” —Publishers Weekly

“This is the summer of comedy, and Crellin adds another banger to the bookshelf. Sharp and sexy, this novel embodies the hilarity sex brings like Bridget Jones embodied the awkwardness sex brings.” —Debutiful

“A comedy of bad manners, enacted cruelty, and zero-filter living.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[An] intriguing exploration of sexuality, selfishness, and how family shapes identity.” —Booklist

“A dark domestic comedy of kinks and class. . . a wickedly sharp and impressive first outing.” —Daily Mail

“Tender, funny and sexy. . . as exciting as it is intriguing. . . [A] heady mix of reflection, love and sexual tension.” —Elle

“Wickedly funny.” —Literary Review

“Truly profound on the costs of performing one’s sexuality in public and private. I read it in a day; it was difficult to stop.” —Merve Emre, author of The Ferrante Letters and The Personality Brokers

“Crellin has a genius for tracking the internal logic behind all kinds of catastrophically bad behavior. A Sense of Occasion is a wonderful book, at once shrewd and ethereal.” —Chris Kraus, author of The Four Spent the Day Together and I Love Dick

“Wincingly funny and indecently insightful . . . Astonishing that such an assured performance is also a debut!” —Benjamin Kunkel, author of Indecision

“Meet the family!—and observe their interesting sex lives, depicted with joy and forensic subtlety. [A] delicious comedy of class, gender and sexuality . . . And if that’s not enough, herein you will find the greatest orgasm even written.” —Robert Glück

“Unforgettable. . . Crellin explores the boundless complications of sexuality, desire and love with rigor, intelligence and humor.” —Rachel Connolly, author of Lazy City

“An astonishing writer. . . so sharp and perfect. This book is sexy, terrifying, keen and startling.” —Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under and Sisters

“An outstanding debut by a singular voice . . . A rare, funny novel.” —Nicola Dinan, author of Disappoint Me

“A masterfully constructed novel. . . profound, immersive, visceral, tender, deeply accomplished and completely unique.” —Harriet Armstrong, author of To Rest Our Minds and Bodies