Hello From the Gillespies

Our November book club choice is Hello From the Gillespies, published on 6 November by Penguin. 

"Angela finally started the letter, summoning her usual cheery tone. Then she stopped. Her friend Joan's voice suddenly came to her mind, as if she was standing there beside her.

'Go for it, love! Let it rip! Tell the truth! It's good for you.'

She actually laughed out loud. Tell the truth? How could she?

Angela stared at the screen for a long moment. Then she started a new letter, typing faster than she'd ever typed before..."

International number one bestseller Monica McInerney brings us a sparkling and hilarious new novel about the ups and downs of family life.

For the last thirty years, Angela Gillespie's annual Christmas letter has been full of her family's triumphs. But this year Angela surprises everyone, including herself - she tells the truth.

Angela's husband is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. Her grown-up daughters are more out of control than ever. And her youngest child spends all of his time talking to an imaginary friend.

With fantasy thoughts of a life before marriage and motherhood becoming more than just an innocent daydream, Angela's real life is slowly slipping out of focus.

But, as the repercussions of her ruthlessly honest letter begin to pile up, a shocking event takes Angela from her family, and she realises she should have been more careful of what she wished for...

Australian-born Dublin-based Monica McInerney is the author of the best-selling novels The House of Memories, Lola's Secret, At Home with the Templetons, Those Faraday Girls, Family Baggage, The Alphabet Sisters, Spin the Bottle, Upside Down Inside Out, A Taste for It and a short story collection, All Together Now, published internationally and in translation.

Monica grew up in a family of seven children in the Clare Valley wine region of South Australia. Since then Monica has lived all around Australia, in Ireland, and in London and also travelled widely. For the past twenty years she and her Irish husband have been moving back and forth between Australia and Ireland. They currently live in Dublin.

All our free copies of Hello From the Gillespies have now gone but it's available online and from all good book sellers. Don't forget that if you do receive a copy you will need to add comments and questions for Monica before the end of November. You can find the thread HERE.