When We Were Bad

Shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, Charlotte Mendelson's When We Were Bad is a darkly comic and beautiful portrayal of a family in crisis When We Were Bad is a spellbinding, witty and poignant portrayal of a family in crisis, in love, and in denial.'As intelligent as it is funny. A beautifully observed literary comedy as well as a painfully accurate description of one big old family mess. A joy' – The ObserverIn North London, Claudia Rubin is in her heyday. Wife, mother, rabbi – and sometimes moral voice of the nation – everyone wants to be with her at her son Leo's glorious wedding. That is, until Leo jilts his bride, and the gleaming bubble surrounding the Rubins threatens to burst.Frances – Claudia's calm, mature, married daughter – tries to hold the nucleus of the family together, but the stress forces her to re-examine her own life, leading her to make a decision as shocking as Leo's choice to bolt.And Claudia's husband, Norman, has an uncharacteristic secret. And, whether he likes it or not, he is powerless to stop it coming out . . .'A comedy with the warmest of hearts and the most deliciously subversive of agendas' - Marie Claire'Fast-paced and engaging. Brilliant, touching and true' - Naomi Alderman, bestselling author of The Power