Parents always want to protect their children and Linda and Gerry are no different. Although Nicole and Jamie are in their thirties, their parents still hold back secrets from their past. Jamie tends to go with the flow but suddenly, with this announcement, Jamie starts to question his own decisions.Īs the family dynamic shifts and changes, each of them struggles to adapt. Jamie is a more gentle sort, accepting of his lot, always malleable to the decisions of others. Her behaviour escalates and she adopts more of the party lifestyle than ever before convincing herself that comfort can be found in the bottom of a bottle. Shocked and appalled by this monumental change, Nicole is unaccepting and automatically blames her mother for this. Engaged, with his upcoming nuptials around the corner, Jamie considers himself lucky.īut a family meal shakes up the status quo when it is announced that Linda and Gerry are separating. Her younger brother Jamie is a teacher and lives with his girlfriend Lucy. Burning the candle at both ends is nothing new to Nicole and she prides herself on being the last one standing on a work night out. She works hard, plays hard and is one of the top dogs in her place of employment in the tech industry. Gerry is now a successful business man and Linda works part-time. Linda and Gerry have been married for over thirty years. A gripping yet tender depiction of family dynamics, love and disillusionment, At the Table is about what it means to grow up – both as an individual, and as a family.Īt the Table by Claire Powell was published 31st March 2022 with Fleet and is described as ‘an unsentimental exploration of love and disillusionment…about what it means to grow up – both as an individual, and as a family.‘Īt the Table is a brilliant portrayal of a family of four, Linda and Gerry and their adult children, Nicole and Jamie. Set in 2018, Claire Powell’s beautifully observed debut novel follows each member of the Maguire family over a tumultuous year of lunches, dinners and drinks, as old conflicts arise and relationships are re-evaluated. But as the siblings grapple with the pressures of thirtysomething life, their parents struggle to protect the fragile façade of their own relationship, and the secrets they’ve both been keeping. Hardworking – and hard-drinking – Nicole pursues the ex she unceremoniously dumped six years ago, while people-pleasing Jamie fears he’s sleepwalking into a marriage he doesn’t actually want. So when Linda and Gerry announce that they’ve decided to separate, the news sends shockwaves through the siblings’ lives, forcing them to confront their own expectations and desires. To Nicole and Jamie Maguire, their parents seem the ideal couple – a suburban double act, happily married for more than thirty years.
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