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THE WAKES

Dianne Yarwood

A heartfelt, funny and uplifting debut about two failing marriages, two strangers falling in love, two friends embarking on a catering business - and the four funerals that connect them.
This is a story about Clare, Louisa and Chris. And sometimes Paul, and less often, Beth. It is most certainly not about frittatas (a terrible concession), and more to do with lemon tart (a perfect contrast of textures). It is about what to do when your husband tells you that he doesn't love you anymore. And what to do when your wife leaves you after too many rounds of IVF. It's about helping your new friend with her funeral catering business, and discovering that, sometimes, the most unlikely of pairings are the very best. It is about food that is outrageously good and comforting to sad people. And, for once, not being sensible, and throwing away everything you know. Catering, like life, doesn't always go according to plan, and as Clare, Louisa and Chris's stories become more intertwined, they will learn that life will always manage to break in to remind you of just how good it can be. This is a book about living. After all, the thing about death is that it makes life important. An irresistible debut novel that is funny and hopeful about death, poignant about life, and a love-letter to the comforts of food and friendship. Dianne Yarwood worked in accounting and corporate advisory in London and Sydney. She also nurtured a love for cooking and catering. At the age of forty, with three young children, she became very ill and her life was saved by an emergency doctor. This brush with mortality gave her the courage to do what she's always wanted to do - write. Dianne lives in Sydney with her husband. The Wakes is her first novel.
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Published 2023-03-01 by Hachette Australia

Comments

The Wakes is a truly delightful debut novel about life, death... and chicken sandwiches. Funny, moving, tender and wise, I ate up every delicious word.

The Wakes is a truly exceptional novel. Dianne Yarwood skilfully illuminates the breadth of the human experience through the eyes of a suite of perfectly imperfect characters. This novel is rich with wisdom, love, humour and a sparkling joy - that unique kind of story that can make you sob and chuckle in the very same scene. I flew through this book in just a few sittings and have been gushing about it ever since!

The Wakes is an utter delight - warm, funny and profound. I can't wait for everyone to read it. I couldn't believe it was a debut.

UK: Phoenix/Orion

It's hard to believe Dianne Yarwood is a debut novelist because The Wakes proves that she has the heart of a writer. This is a glorious book that will make you simultaneously want to eat Louisa and Clare's lemon tarts as well as forge a friendship like theirs. It reminded me that life is the most precious gift of all and every day is a treat meant to be enjoyed to its fullest, just like the chicken sandwiches in the story!

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