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I'm Sorry You Feel That Way

the whip-smart domestic comedy you won't be able to put down

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I'm Sorry You Feel That Way

By: Rebecca Wait
Narrated by: Tamsin Kennard
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From the author of the Waterstones Book of the Month Our Fathers comes a compelling domestic comedy about complex family dynamics, mental health and the intricacies of sibling relationships.

For Alice and Hanna, saint and sinner, growing up is a trial. There is their mother, who takes a divide and conquer approach to child-rearing, and their father, who takes an absent one. There is their older brother Michael, whose disapproval is a force to be reckoned with. There is the catastrophe that is never spoken of, but which has shaped everything.

As adults, Alice and Hanna must deal with disappointments in work and in love as well as increasingly complicated family tensions, and lives that look dismayingly dissimilar to what they'd intended. They must look for a way to repair their own fractured relationship, and they must finally choose their own approach to their dominant mother: submit or burn the house down. And they must decide at last whether life is really anything more than (as Hanna would have it) a tragedy with a few hilarious moments.

(P)2022 Quercus Editions Limited©2022 Rebecca Wait Coming of Age Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Grief & Loss Literary Fiction Personal Development Relationships Witty Funny Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking
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Critic reviews

SO brilliant. A brutally funny and whip-smart novel about dysfunctional families, with some of the best fictional sibling relationships I've ever read. It'll easily be one of my Books of the Year. (Hannah Beckerman)
I didn't want it to end. Completely absorbing and brilliant and funny and painful. (Charlotte Duckworth)
Toxic mothers, absent fathers, angry sisters and enraging brothers - this sharp, wise comedy explores difficult family dynamics, from all-too-relatable emotional patterns to the inexplicable agonies of mental illness; yet it's also one of the funniest novels you'll read this year.
Rebecca Wait's highly entertaining fourth novel is a masterclass in familial tensions, told with razor-sharp
dialogue, wit and emotional insight.
You'll struggle to find a better opening sentence in fiction this year . . . I loved the deadpan one-liners . . . The dialogue is excellent and captures the way families try to support one another and end up being accidentally horrible instead . . . But even better than the witty observations are the pure comedy set pieces . . . But it's more than just a farce. Things happen, big dramatic things, and there's love and anguish and good people making terrible mistakes . . . It's a warm book and a touching one. And did I mention it's funny? Just read it. You'll see.
One of those novels, which is as funny as it's devastating, I'm Sorry You Feel That Way lays bare one family's dysfunction over the decades.
Wait's deft handling of the intricate web of family connections, as well as her genuinely funny observations of everyday life, land somewhere between the early novels of Maggie O'Farrell and the later work of Barbara Trapido. Like them, she understands that tragedy and comedy go hand in hand
Funny, tender and sad... Wait is such a sympathetic writer that her willingness to dive into the emotional nitty gritty of her characters' inner lives makes for riveting reading
If you liked Meg Mason's Sorrow and Bliss, you'll love this novel ... as it hits that same sweet spot between poignancy and humour
A deep dive into a dysfunctional family and its intergenerational trauma that somehow manages to be both desperately sad and extremely funny... Its exquisitely detailed examination of interpersonal relationships allows it to become furtively compassionate, generous even to the worst offenders and one of the richest explorations of family dysfunction I've read
An enjoyably bittersweet novel about a dysfunctional modern family
This sharp, wise comedy explores difficult family dynamics, from all-too-relatable emotional patterns to the inexplicable agonies of mental illness; yet it's also one of the funniest novels you'll read this year
All stars
Most relevant
Really enjoyed this, thoughtful and entertaining with likeable relatable characters, and presents mental illnesses in an accurate non-stigmatising way. Great book! :)

Loved it, so thoughtful & likeable characters

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I disliked the characters, especially the weak pathetic Alice.
The book skips between time in places without making it clear and confusing in places.
I was relieved when I had finished it!!

Wouldn’t recommend this book

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Great book- really enjoyed the story and the narration was good. Would definitely recommend reading.

Excellent book

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This book is a brilliant insight into the complexities of family relationships. The author delves into the personalities of each of the characters and the impact that each has on the other. The script is very funny in parts too…. A lovely balance of dealing with some serious mental health issues and the very humorous side of life. The author captures the listener/ reader’s attention even with what might be described as the mundanity of life but somehow draws you in. Very clever. The narrator is fantastic too.

Brilliant, insightful and funny

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Relatable mother - daughter and sibling dynamics and all the difficult and beautiful emotions that come with being a family or trying to be. Same goes for relationships between friends or would-be friends, the longing for friendship and loneliness, very moving. Also quite funny, mostly due to the excellent spot on narration.

Moving depiction of family relationships

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