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A Real Piece of Work
Not yet published
Expected 11 Jun 26
What does it mean for a stranger to think you’re brave? Readers called me ‘raw’ because I wrote about crying into takeaway containers and drunk texting my dead sister’s number. People wanted to believe it was fearless of me to broadcast my breakdown, but the truth was that I’d curated that messiness until it was just the right kind of chaos.
Nola McConkey has made it. Animal Oracle, the memoir she has written about her beloved late sister Darina, has become a hit. People read it, critics loved it, producers now want to make it into a movie. The dream of quitting her job and becoming a full-time writer in London doesn’t seem so far away. There’s only one everyone in her family has an opinion about the book – and none of them are good. Though Nola can’t let it affect her. It’s the price she must pay for the life she wants.
But now, someone has made an anonymous complaint to her publisher about Animal Oracle. Suddenly, her hard-won reputation as a literary darling is at stake. Nola is sure that only someone in her secretive, chaotic family could be to blame. As her parents and three remaining siblings prepare to spend the fifth anniversary of Darina’s death together on the isolated island of Lundy, Nola knows this is the perfect opportunity to convince her accuser to pull the complaint before it causes irreparable damage – but first, she must discover who made it.
A Real Piece of Work is a sparkling and spiky story of complicated families and even more complicated sisters, exploring who owns grief and who gets to tell the story of those who are gone and those left behind with tenderness, nuance and wit.
Nola McConkey has made it. Animal Oracle, the memoir she has written about her beloved late sister Darina, has become a hit. People read it, critics loved it, producers now want to make it into a movie. The dream of quitting her job and becoming a full-time writer in London doesn’t seem so far away. There’s only one everyone in her family has an opinion about the book – and none of them are good. Though Nola can’t let it affect her. It’s the price she must pay for the life she wants.
But now, someone has made an anonymous complaint to her publisher about Animal Oracle. Suddenly, her hard-won reputation as a literary darling is at stake. Nola is sure that only someone in her secretive, chaotic family could be to blame. As her parents and three remaining siblings prepare to spend the fifth anniversary of Darina’s death together on the isolated island of Lundy, Nola knows this is the perfect opportunity to convince her accuser to pull the complaint before it causes irreparable damage – but first, she must discover who made it.
A Real Piece of Work is a sparkling and spiky story of complicated families and even more complicated sisters, exploring who owns grief and who gets to tell the story of those who are gone and those left behind with tenderness, nuance and wit.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 11, 2026
About the author
Freya Bromley
3 books40 followersFreya Bromley is a writer living in London. Her work focuses on love, loss and healing through nature. The Tidal Year is her first book and is shortlisted for the Nero Book Awards 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 9, 2026
an excellent and intricate portrait of a complex family navigating grief
January 4, 2026
Well… what a debut. I enjoyed Freya’s memoir, ‘The Tidal Year’, so I was keen to get a proof of her upcoming debut novel.
I’d describe this book as an ode to the enduring bond between siblings, not painted in a matching-pyjama-wearing familial ideal, but exactly as these relationships often are: complicated, nostalgic, infuriating and sustaining. I thought the relationships with her brothers were particularly well-captured and felt true to life — who else but a brother could know exactly what to say to piss you off, but you’ll also agree to a middle of the night adventure with?
The novel charts the ebbs and flows of disdain, love and the tangled net of grief Nola’s family find themselves in after Darina’s death, and the experience of being raised in the same family and each emerging different people.
One of the things that draws me most to Freya’s writing is how she writes nature in an accessible and city-literate way. Much like after reading ‘The Tidal Year’, I felt simultaneously inspired to spend some more time outside *and* as though I had just spent some time in nature. The prose is addictive and woven with well-considered metaphors, most of which are nature themed. I particularly enjoyed the ways light was described in both Lundy and London.
Final thought — I don’t think Freya gets enough credit for her humour, it has that rare quality of still being funny when read out loud.
Everyone’s in for a treat in June when this comes out and they get to spend some time in Lundy with the lighting storm that is the McConkey family. Get this on your TBR now.
Congratulations, Freya.
I’d describe this book as an ode to the enduring bond between siblings, not painted in a matching-pyjama-wearing familial ideal, but exactly as these relationships often are: complicated, nostalgic, infuriating and sustaining. I thought the relationships with her brothers were particularly well-captured and felt true to life — who else but a brother could know exactly what to say to piss you off, but you’ll also agree to a middle of the night adventure with?
The novel charts the ebbs and flows of disdain, love and the tangled net of grief Nola’s family find themselves in after Darina’s death, and the experience of being raised in the same family and each emerging different people.
One of the things that draws me most to Freya’s writing is how she writes nature in an accessible and city-literate way. Much like after reading ‘The Tidal Year’, I felt simultaneously inspired to spend some more time outside *and* as though I had just spent some time in nature. The prose is addictive and woven with well-considered metaphors, most of which are nature themed. I particularly enjoyed the ways light was described in both Lundy and London.
Final thought — I don’t think Freya gets enough credit for her humour, it has that rare quality of still being funny when read out loud.
Everyone’s in for a treat in June when this comes out and they get to spend some time in Lundy with the lighting storm that is the McConkey family. Get this on your TBR now.
Congratulations, Freya.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved Freya's memoir The Tidal Year, so when she announced her fiction debut, I jumped at the chance to request it!
We're in Nola's POV, she's just released her first book, a memoir about losing her sister. We follow her while dealing with the subsequent family fallout and reconciliation. Having read Freya's memoir, I couldn't help but see similarities and parallels, leading me to believe the feelings in this novel are very real. This was reinforced by the fictional Nola saying something to that effect about her memoir and next work of fiction.
Love the premise, I'm not sure how much we, as the general public, think about the impact of something so personal as a memoir, especially one about losing a loved one. Everything is subjective, there's always missing context, not quite secrets, but things that go unmentioned and therefore create misinterpretations and differing narratives.
I'm not going to lie, the characters were all insufferable, even her late sister. We got to see their dynamic in flashbacks, and the advice she was giving her little sister and the choices she was making had me shaking my head every single time. Conor was the only exception. Nola is better than me because if my family members talked to me like hers did, her parents' out-of-pocket statements, especially, we wouldn't have a relationship to work on at all.
This was a story about grief, complicated sibling dynamics/ parental figures, how your lived experiences shape you, and then despite it all, moving forward and paving your own path.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Lundy, its nature and animals. Freya weaves nature elements into her city scenes too, which I love. I live in the countryside myself and often forget that cities aren't devoid of nature if you know where to look.
It was a slower read than I expected, and I would have loved to see Nola argue back more tenaciously. I felt her backbone was flimsy at times.
Overall, it was a great read, choked me up on multiple occasions and had me ruminating on my own family and the ways in which we need to show up for each other. I look forward to future works.
Thank you to Netgalley and Cornerstone for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
We're in Nola's POV, she's just released her first book, a memoir about losing her sister. We follow her while dealing with the subsequent family fallout and reconciliation. Having read Freya's memoir, I couldn't help but see similarities and parallels, leading me to believe the feelings in this novel are very real. This was reinforced by the fictional Nola saying something to that effect about her memoir and next work of fiction.
Love the premise, I'm not sure how much we, as the general public, think about the impact of something so personal as a memoir, especially one about losing a loved one. Everything is subjective, there's always missing context, not quite secrets, but things that go unmentioned and therefore create misinterpretations and differing narratives.
I'm not going to lie, the characters were all insufferable, even her late sister. We got to see their dynamic in flashbacks, and the advice she was giving her little sister and the choices she was making had me shaking my head every single time. Conor was the only exception. Nola is better than me because if my family members talked to me like hers did, her parents' out-of-pocket statements, especially, we wouldn't have a relationship to work on at all.
This was a story about grief, complicated sibling dynamics/ parental figures, how your lived experiences shape you, and then despite it all, moving forward and paving your own path.
I enjoyed the descriptions of Lundy, its nature and animals. Freya weaves nature elements into her city scenes too, which I love. I live in the countryside myself and often forget that cities aren't devoid of nature if you know where to look.
It was a slower read than I expected, and I would have loved to see Nola argue back more tenaciously. I felt her backbone was flimsy at times.
Overall, it was a great read, choked me up on multiple occasions and had me ruminating on my own family and the ways in which we need to show up for each other. I look forward to future works.
Thank you to Netgalley and Cornerstone for allowing me to read an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was beautiful!
‘A Real Piece of Work’ is a tender and sweet novel about a grieving family. Nola has written a sort of memoir about her late sister Darina and we follow her through her life as the book gains popularity and her family grow more resentful.
It’s a very interesting book when it comes to the author’s writing style. At many points, it’s fairly simplistic (not actual quotes): ‘I pulled my hand through my curly hair.’, ‘I drank wine from my glass.’. But then, Bromley will just hit you with the most gut wrenching line ever that you will be thinking about for hours after you closed the book. Bromley’s style is unique and quiet, not over stressing things but fitting gently into the mind of her character (who is also a writer) and who often sees the world through a stained glass window.
Nothing is revealed as a massive surprise or hyped up, it is just told. When a large part of Darina’s story is narrated to us in a very matter of fact way which somehow makes it even more painful. I enjoyed the lack of overdramatised moments as often in family centred novels, it can feel a little too staged. It’s an incredibly real piece, one you can maybe see your own family in.
Bromley has a skill at creating unique characters, showing us how the deal with the grief of their loved one with Darina herself being a powerhouse and a wonderful soul we had the privilege of knowing. I found myself to-ing and fro-ing between family members, deciding which side was better but in truth, family is not perfect and Bromley portrayed that fact excellently.
A gorgeous novel. Thank you to Hutchinson and Heinemann/Penguin Random House for my copy of the lovely lovely book. It’s out this June!
‘A Real Piece of Work’ is a tender and sweet novel about a grieving family. Nola has written a sort of memoir about her late sister Darina and we follow her through her life as the book gains popularity and her family grow more resentful.
It’s a very interesting book when it comes to the author’s writing style. At many points, it’s fairly simplistic (not actual quotes): ‘I pulled my hand through my curly hair.’, ‘I drank wine from my glass.’. But then, Bromley will just hit you with the most gut wrenching line ever that you will be thinking about for hours after you closed the book. Bromley’s style is unique and quiet, not over stressing things but fitting gently into the mind of her character (who is also a writer) and who often sees the world through a stained glass window.
Nothing is revealed as a massive surprise or hyped up, it is just told. When a large part of Darina’s story is narrated to us in a very matter of fact way which somehow makes it even more painful. I enjoyed the lack of overdramatised moments as often in family centred novels, it can feel a little too staged. It’s an incredibly real piece, one you can maybe see your own family in.
Bromley has a skill at creating unique characters, showing us how the deal with the grief of their loved one with Darina herself being a powerhouse and a wonderful soul we had the privilege of knowing. I found myself to-ing and fro-ing between family members, deciding which side was better but in truth, family is not perfect and Bromley portrayed that fact excellently.
A gorgeous novel. Thank you to Hutchinson and Heinemann/Penguin Random House for my copy of the lovely lovely book. It’s out this June!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I loved Freya Bromley's memoir The Tidal Year so I was very excited for her debut novel. I loved this, and it was very cleverly meta and humourously self-deprecating, which offered levity against the heartbreaking subject matter.
It follows an author called Nola who's writen an extremely successful memoir about the death of her sibling and her own working through of grief, with a love story woven in. Nola is even nervous about writing her first novel, which Freya captures so well. The fictional memoir, Animal Oracle, is seen throughout A Real Piece of Work as extracts, and you also learn that parts of the memoir are embellished or fictionalised for effect.
I liked the whodunnit element but it didn't seem so important by the end, and was sort of glossed over, but I see that the story needed the driving force of the anxiety of not knowing who had complained about her memoir.
It's continually clever and nuaced, and also captures all the messiness of the family dynamics, and each grief being different. The characters were super strong, believeable and well-rounded, especially all the siblings. The boat scene was so absurd and simultaneously hilarious and upsetting. It makes lots of interesting points about the act of writing 'real' stories, who gets to tell them, what is included or not, the different offences people can take, what is 'raw' and authentic and what narrative can be curated by writing. The title is a clever double meaning too, which I appreciate. Will be recommending!
It follows an author called Nola who's writen an extremely successful memoir about the death of her sibling and her own working through of grief, with a love story woven in. Nola is even nervous about writing her first novel, which Freya captures so well. The fictional memoir, Animal Oracle, is seen throughout A Real Piece of Work as extracts, and you also learn that parts of the memoir are embellished or fictionalised for effect.
I liked the whodunnit element but it didn't seem so important by the end, and was sort of glossed over, but I see that the story needed the driving force of the anxiety of not knowing who had complained about her memoir.
It's continually clever and nuaced, and also captures all the messiness of the family dynamics, and each grief being different. The characters were super strong, believeable and well-rounded, especially all the siblings. The boat scene was so absurd and simultaneously hilarious and upsetting. It makes lots of interesting points about the act of writing 'real' stories, who gets to tell them, what is included or not, the different offences people can take, what is 'raw' and authentic and what narrative can be curated by writing. The title is a clever double meaning too, which I appreciate. Will be recommending!
April 11, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
A poignant story of grief and family, Freya Bromley artfully navigates the narrative contours of loss and identity. I found many members of the family insufferable, which made for a tough read at times. I also felt that some aspects of the story could have been built on more strongly, such as a major plot point which was shared and then not expounded on further. Overall, an artful and deeply human piece of work. I enjoyed this one, and look forward to more by Bromley.
A poignant story of grief and family, Freya Bromley artfully navigates the narrative contours of loss and identity. I found many members of the family insufferable, which made for a tough read at times. I also felt that some aspects of the story could have been built on more strongly, such as a major plot point which was shared and then not expounded on further. Overall, an artful and deeply human piece of work. I enjoyed this one, and look forward to more by Bromley.
March 6, 2026
I really, really liked this one! Thanks so much to HH for my copy
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you so much for the proof!
Oooof this hits hard. What a way to show the dynamics of family, grief. And in ways how we can remember people.
Wow
Oooof this hits hard. What a way to show the dynamics of family, grief. And in ways how we can remember people.
Wow
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews