{"product_id":"a-sense-of-occasion-9781787335868","title":"A Sense of Occasion","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA death in the (dysfunctional) family - can they hold it together long enough to organise the funeral?  A death in the (dysfunctional) family - can they hold it together long enough to organise the funeral?  'Sexy, terrifying, keen and startling' DAISY JOHNSON 'At once shrewd and ethereal' CHRIS KRAUS 'A rare, funny novel' NICOLA DINAN  When Mary dies, Patch can barely keep track of her mother's journey from the hospital to the mortuary, let alone host a wake in her childhood home.  Mary's ex Robin wants to support his daughter but, but instead of acting like a responsible father, he heads to his former haunt: the lay-by where he used to meet farmers for sex.  Jude is en route. She hasn't spoken to her cousin Patch in almost a year, and would rather stay in Naples, but she's hoping that her attendance will mean that past behaviour is forgiven.  Thrown together in Mary's tiny house, each of them is trying to feel something: to grieve, atone, join in, be better. But they rarely have one another's best interests at heart, and as the connections between them twist and contort, they lose sight of the rules and grasp towards anything that might make it all less painful.  'Sexy and intelligent' MERVE EMRE  'Immensely fun' LIZZY STEWART  'I can't remember the last time I read something so bold, tender, sexy and funny' CAMILLA GRUDOVA  'Crellin explores the boundless complications of sexuality, desire and love' RACHEL CONNOLLY  'Immersive, visceral, tender' HARRIET ARMSTRONG\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781787335868\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 320\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 22 Sep 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Vintage Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: London, United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 22.4(H)x14.7(L)x3.2(W)422\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): 422\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eBrodie Crellin lives in London and is an editor at Granta magazine. A Sense of Occasion is Brodie's first novel.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cb\u003eCrellin has a genius for tracking the internal logic behind all kinds of catastrophically bad behavior. \u003ci\u003eA Sense of Occasion\u003c\/i\u003e is a wonderful book, at once shrewd and ethereal.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Chris Kraus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCrellin is an astonishing writer, their sentences ring like bells and are so sharp and perfect. This book is sexy, terrifying, keen and startling\u003c\/b\u003e -- Daisy Johnson\u003cbr\u003eAn outstanding debut by a singular voice. \u003ci\u003eA Sense of Occasion\u003c\/i\u003e favours honesty over sentimentality, embracing the claustrophobic atmosphere of totally dysfunctional families. \u003cb\u003eA rare, funny novel\u003c\/b\u003e -- Nicola Dinan\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePerfectly paced; sexy and intelligent and truly profound on the costs of living\u003c\/b\u003e and performing one’s sexuality in public and private -- Merve Emre\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSo smart, often so funny, and incredibly moving, Brodie Crellin explores love, desire, family, and dynamics of power, care and dependence with total honesty\u003c\/b\u003e. Brodie's amazing on the complex, often fraught relationships between the family and the individual, on the psychological asymmetries inherent to intimacy, and on the ways that reality can start to feel contingent on the presence of another person. Masterfully constructed, yet so vivid and absorbing that I frequently forgot it was constructed at all. \u003cb\u003eA profound, immersive, visceral, tender, deeply accomplished and completely unique novel\u003c\/b\u003e -- Harriet Armstrong\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn immensely fun read in which prickly, awkward people do prickly, awkward things in such soft, funny, human ways that you cannot help but be charmed by them all. A delight!\u003c\/b\u003e -- Lizzy Stewart\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eUnforgettable\u003c\/b\u003e. . . Crellin explores the boundless complications of sexuality, desire and love with rigor, intelligence and humor. \u003cb\u003eHere are characters and relationships which feel strange, distinctive and always true\u003c\/b\u003e -- Rachel Connolly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA stylish debut, funny and fluent and surprising\u003c\/b\u003e. Brodie Crellin is interested in the things we talk about, think about and do with our bodies to avoid squaring up to grief -- Tom Lamont\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Sense of Occasion\u003c\/i\u003e is a magnificent debut, and a game changer. \u003cb\u003eI can't remember the last time I read something so bold, tender, sexy and funny\u003c\/b\u003e -- Camilla Grudova\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA cracking read, \u003c\/b\u003eunapologetic in its transgression: a dark domestic comedy of kinks and class… a \u003cb\u003ewickedly sharp and impressive\u003c\/b\u003e first outing for those with the stomach * Daily Mail *","brand":"Brodie Crellin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50573986857177,"sku":"9781787335868","price":34.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781787335868.jpg?v=1790774919","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/a-sense-of-occasion-9781787335868","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}