Ask Again, Yes: The gripping, emotional and life-affirming New York Times bestseller

by Mary Beth Keane

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER & RADIO 2 SUMMER BOOK CLUB PICK

A PRIMA BOOK OF THE YEAR!

'I ABSOLUTELY ADORED IT' Liane Moriarty

'IMMERSIVE AND DEEPLY MOVING' Anna Hope, author of Expectation

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A gripping and compassionate drama of two families linked by chance, love and tragedy.

Gillam, upstate New York: a town of ordinary, big-lawned suburban houses. The Gleesons have recently moved there and soon welcome the Stanhopes as their new neighbours.

Lonely Lena Gleeson wants a friend but Anne Stanhope - cold, elegant, unstable - wants to be left alone.

It's left to their children - Lena's youngest, Kate, and Anne's only child, Peter - to find their way to one another. To form a friendship whose resilience and love will be almost broken by the fault line dividing both families, and by the terrible tragedy that will engulf them all.

A tragedy whose true origins only become clear many years later . . .

A story of love and redemption, faith and forgiveness, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood - villains lose their menace, and those who appeared innocent seem less so.

A story of how, if we're lucky, the violence lurking beneath everyday life can be vanquished by the power of love.

If you enjoy Celeste Ng, Elizabeth Strout and Ann Patchett you will love this stunning novel.
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'Keane is a nuanced observer' The Sunday Times

'A remarkable achievement' Sunday Express

'Has the makings of a future classic' Daily Mirror

'It's an absolute stunner, an ode to family and forgiveness that has been crafted with compassion and insight' Sara Collins, author of The Confessions of Frannie Langton

'Both thoughtful and powerful' Hannah Beckerman, i News

'I absolutely adored Ask Again, Yes' Liane Moriarty, author of Big Little Lies

'Powerful and moving' Meg Wolitzer, author of The Wife

'Full of life lessons' BBC Radio 4 Open Book

'One of my best books of the year' Prima

'A beautiful novel, bursting at the seams with empathy' Elle

• ISBN10: 0241410908
• ISBN13: 9780241410905
• Publish Date: 8 August 2019 (first published 28 May 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 4 March 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Michael Joseph Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Bianca]

Things are better now, they feel like they’re getting better—don’t they? But there might be more coming. This might be the least of it. Have you thought about that? We knew nothing about what it meant to grow up, to be partners, parents, all of it. Nothing. And maybe we still don’t.

“We repeat what we don’t repair.” A compelling character-driven family drama spanning decades about two families and how their lives have been affected over the years after one tragic night. A story of love and forgiveness, and a really good character study 👌