'Brilliant, funny and immensely moving'
Catherine Isaac, author of You, Me, Everything
'Well, that was a tearjerker! Anna McPartlin's Below the Big Blue Sky is a MORE than worthy follow-up to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes'
Marian Keyes
***
There's no family quite like the Hayes, and yet they're just like any other - they love each other, they look out for each other and they drive each other mad. When their youngest, Rabbit, dies tragically at just forty, the Hayes are almost torn apart by their grief.
Without her beloved mum, twelve-year-old Bunny is adrift; without Rabbit, there can be no Bunny. Her Granny is concerned when Bunny insists on being called by her real name, Juliet. Even surrounded by the noise and chaos of the Hayes, Juliet feels lost and alone.
Meanwhile, Rabbit's sister Grace has something else on her mind. She's got the gene that made her sister ill, and she hasn't told anyone yet. All she can think about are the things she's always wanted to do, like fly a plane or climb a mountain, or watch her four children grow up. She doesn't know how to share the news that may break her family, but she knows she needs their support, now more than ever.
Despite squabbling over what Rabbit will wear at the wake and their dad burying himself in the past with his diaries, the Hayes family know there's only one way they'll get through this: together.
This huge-hearted novel is about grief, family, the messiness of life and finding humour in the most unexpected of places. Below the Big Blue Sky will make you laugh, cry and fill you with joy.
Look out for Anna McPartlin's new novel Waiting for the Miracle.
***What readers have been saying about Below the Big Blue Sky***
'Equally heartbreaking and hilarious'
'You will laugh, you will cry and you will laugh while crying'
'A real, raw, beautiful depiction of life, love and loss'
'The story has us laughing, crying and on the edge of our seats'
'A beautiful story, beautifully written'
'You'll howl laughing and bawl crying, even on the same page'
'A truly wonderful read'
'It is OK to laugh while grieving'
'Fantastically funny and heartbreaking in equal measure'
'Big-hearted, amusing, compassionate, emotional'
'#RememberRabbitHayes'
'Moving, heartbreaking and funny'
'I love, love, love the Hayes family'
'Desperately sad, hilariously funny and incredibly moving all at the same time'
- ISBN10 1838770801
- ISBN13 9781838770808
- Publish Date 4 February 2021 (first published 23 July 2020)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Zaffre
- Format Paperback
- Pages 512
- Language English