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11 days and 08:31:17
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A Sense of Occasion
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Expected 4 Jun 26Win a free print copy of this book!
11 days and 08:31:17
30 copies available
U.S. only
A death in the (dysfunctional) family – can they hold it together long enough to organise the funeral?
'Crellin is an astonishing writer' DAISY JOHNSON
'At once shrewd and ethereal' CHRIS KRAUS
Mary’s death is bad news – for her daughter Patch, ex-partner Robin, and niece Jude.
It will mean a funeral. But Patch can barely keep track of her mother’s journey from the hospital to the mortuary, let alone host a wake in her childhood home.
Robin wants to support her, but instead of assuming the role of responsible father, he heads to his former the lay-by where he used to meet farmers for sex.
Jude’s on her way from Naples, worrying less about Patch, her estranged cousin, and more about whether there’s a medicinal bag of cocaine in the boot. She hasn’t told the family she’s en route. This way, any lingering acrimony will be forgotten, and Jude’s past behaviour will be forgiven.
Thrown together in Mary’s tiny house, each of them is trying to feel to grieve, atone, join in, be better. But they rarely have one another’s best interests at heart, and as the connections between them twist and contort, they lose sight of the rules and grasp towards anything that might make it all less painful.
Darkly funny, deeply entertaining, and intensely moving, A Sense of Occasion subverts and perverts your expectations to reveal the fractious desires that simmer beneath the surface of our lives.
'Sexy and intelligent' MERVE EMRE
'Explores love, desire, family, and dynamics of power, care and dependence with total honesty' HARRIET ARMSTRONG
'Immensely fun' LIZZY STEWART
'Crellin is an astonishing writer' DAISY JOHNSON
'At once shrewd and ethereal' CHRIS KRAUS
Mary’s death is bad news – for her daughter Patch, ex-partner Robin, and niece Jude.
It will mean a funeral. But Patch can barely keep track of her mother’s journey from the hospital to the mortuary, let alone host a wake in her childhood home.
Robin wants to support her, but instead of assuming the role of responsible father, he heads to his former the lay-by where he used to meet farmers for sex.
Jude’s on her way from Naples, worrying less about Patch, her estranged cousin, and more about whether there’s a medicinal bag of cocaine in the boot. She hasn’t told the family she’s en route. This way, any lingering acrimony will be forgotten, and Jude’s past behaviour will be forgiven.
Thrown together in Mary’s tiny house, each of them is trying to feel to grieve, atone, join in, be better. But they rarely have one another’s best interests at heart, and as the connections between them twist and contort, they lose sight of the rules and grasp towards anything that might make it all less painful.
Darkly funny, deeply entertaining, and intensely moving, A Sense of Occasion subverts and perverts your expectations to reveal the fractious desires that simmer beneath the surface of our lives.
'Sexy and intelligent' MERVE EMRE
'Explores love, desire, family, and dynamics of power, care and dependence with total honesty' HARRIET ARMSTRONG
'Immensely fun' LIZZY STEWART
Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Mostly plotless character-driven story who are all unlikeable and highly sexual. Pseudo/real (wouldn't quite figure it out) incest that was pretty uncomfortable to read that I ended up skipping most of it.
The story didn't really seem to go anywhere and the actual funeral plot didn't kick in until nearer the end.
Overall, it was fast to read because of the plotlessness and skimming. It doesn't have speech marks which some readers might find jarring.
The story didn't really seem to go anywhere and the actual funeral plot didn't kick in until nearer the end.
Overall, it was fast to read because of the plotlessness and skimming. It doesn't have speech marks which some readers might find jarring.
December 4, 2025
To say this is a dysfunctional family is putting it mildly and despite all the characters being rather unlikeable with highly questionable take's on reality I really enjoyed the ride.
There's little plot as it's set over the days before and day of Mary's funeral but we follow Robin, Jude, Patch and have a few POV flashbacks from Mary as they prepare and ruminate on their current life's circumstances and relationships to one another.
The writing was unsettling and kinda gross at times but that all added to atmosphere of this unhinged little family. The dialogue was my favourite, it was chaotic and blunt and very amusing.
Strong themes of sexuality, gender identity, dysfunctional family dynamics, mental health and grief.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for allowing me to read the ARC for an honest review.
There's little plot as it's set over the days before and day of Mary's funeral but we follow Robin, Jude, Patch and have a few POV flashbacks from Mary as they prepare and ruminate on their current life's circumstances and relationships to one another.
The writing was unsettling and kinda gross at times but that all added to atmosphere of this unhinged little family. The dialogue was my favourite, it was chaotic and blunt and very amusing.
Strong themes of sexuality, gender identity, dysfunctional family dynamics, mental health and grief.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK Vintage for allowing me to read the ARC for an honest review.
December 1, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for the ebook. Did you ever see codependent young family members and wonder what their lives are like behind closed doors? If they’re like the characters in this novel, it might be better not to find out. But it is so entertaining to read a book about them. Jude, pretty, and from a much richer family, rules over her cousin Patch. It’s so unhealthy that Jude has run away to Naples, ostensibly to work on a new play, but really to get out of the apartment she shares with Patch in London. But when Patch’s mother dies, they both have to descend to a small, rural town in England and finally see if they can settle their differences or tear each other apart, both emotionally and physically. A fascinating and dangerous read.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to Netgalley and Riverhead Books for the ARC!
When I read the premise, I was intrigued and thought this book would be a good fit for me. Patch and Jude are cousins who are dealing with the death of Mary, Patch's mother. Robin, Patch's gay father, is the other central character in this story.
The familial drama reminded me of Long Island Compromise. I felt that the story pitched these characters as messy, but unfortunately, I found them all to be boring.
I wish that the characters were more unlikeable because it would have made the story more interesting. I had no investment in any of the characters in this story and did not care about their story arcs. Nothing happens for the majority of this book. Most of the scenes are flashbacks. The author reveals some important scenes toward the 70% mark when the characters prepare for Mary's funeral.
I don't mind when authors write dialogue without quotations, but I don't think this style worked for this story. That said, this book is well-written, and there are some funny moments.
If you enjoy character-driven stories with minimal plot, then you should maybe try this book. Normally, I love plotless literary fiction, but I couldn't wait for this story to end.
When I read the premise, I was intrigued and thought this book would be a good fit for me. Patch and Jude are cousins who are dealing with the death of Mary, Patch's mother. Robin, Patch's gay father, is the other central character in this story.
The familial drama reminded me of Long Island Compromise. I felt that the story pitched these characters as messy, but unfortunately, I found them all to be boring.
I wish that the characters were more unlikeable because it would have made the story more interesting. I had no investment in any of the characters in this story and did not care about their story arcs. Nothing happens for the majority of this book. Most of the scenes are flashbacks. The author reveals some important scenes toward the 70% mark when the characters prepare for Mary's funeral.
I don't mind when authors write dialogue without quotations, but I don't think this style worked for this story. That said, this book is well-written, and there are some funny moments.
If you enjoy character-driven stories with minimal plot, then you should maybe try this book. Normally, I love plotless literary fiction, but I couldn't wait for this story to end.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews