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Things Don't Break on Their Own

A Novel

Author Sarah Easter Collins
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Hardcover
$28.00 US
| $37.99 CAN
Crown
On sale Jul 16, 2024 | 272 Pages | 9780593798331
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
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“This is the one: the next must-read, must-recommend, must-discuss, must-re-read novel. A miraculous literary thriller, shocking, daring, moving, haunting, infinitely rewarding—as though Kate Atkinson and Ruth Rendell had joined forces.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST’S 12 THRILLERS TO READ THIS SUMMER • ONE OF BLOOMBERG’S TOP NEW BOOKS FOR YOUR SUMMER READING LIST

A heart-wrenching mystery about sisters, lovers, and a dinner party gone wrong.

Twenty-five years ago, a young girl left home to walk to school. Her younger sister soon followed. But one of them arrived, and one of them didn’t. 

Her sister’s disappearance has defined Willa’s life. Everyone thinks her sister is dead, but Willa knows she isn’t. Because there are some things that only sisters know about each other—and some bonds only sisters can break.

Willa sees fragments of her sister everywhere — the way that woman on the train turns her head, the gait of that woman in Paris. If there’s the slightest resemblance, Willa drops everything, and everyone, and tries to see if it is her.

When Willa is invited to a dinner party thrown by her first love, she has no reason to expect it will be anything other than an ordinary evening. Both of them have moved on, ancient history. But nothing about Willa’s life has been ordinary since the day her sister disappeared, and that’s not about to change tonight.

Sarah Easter Collins has written an extraordinary novel about memory, lost love, and long-buried secrets that sometimes see the light of day.
1

Supper with Friends

ROBYN

The match flares in the half-dark of our kitchen. As I lean toward the candles, light slips along the silver lines of the bowl that forms the centerpiece of the table. I stand back, making one final check of the linen, the glasses, the place settings, the eight mismatched chairs. Cat walks in.

“Okay,” she says, “the twins are asleep. Sophie’s in bed and reading. I’ve told her it’s fine to come down so long as she takes herself back up. What’s still to do?”

“We’re pretty much there. Make yourself a drink.”

“I’m saving myself for when Jamie gets here.”

“Don’t.”

“Last time he delivered us forty-five minutes on the engineering works between here and the coast. Remember? Forty-five sodding minutes. If he does that again, I’m feigning death.” My wife rummages in a drawer and pulls out a bottle opener. “I honestly don’t know what Willa sees in him.”

“He wants kids.”

“She’s well aware there’re other ways. Anyway, she’s got to want more than that—”

“It’s all she wants.”

“Basic compatibility for a start. I mean, why Jamie?”

“She’s thirty-eight. You know it’s a tricky subject.”

“Everything’s tricky—”

“Cat—”

“This was meant to be a family get-together. Sibs. It’s almost impossible to get Michael and Nate in London at the exact same time.”

“Willa’s practically family.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She’s been through so much.”

“Sure.” Cat gives me daggers, then just as quickly lets it go. “I know.”

I look at the table, running a hand through my hair. “D’you reckon everyone will get on?”

Cat pulls me to her. “Course they will. It’s nearly Christmas, plus we’ve been cooking all afternoon. They’re duty-bound. By the way,” she says, turning me so my silver top glitters in the candlelight, “you look truly lovely.”

“Thought I might dress up a little.”

“You always dress up for Willa,” she says, narrowing her eyes, “your first love.”

“I should never have told you that.”

“Doorbell,” she says. “I’ll go.”

I hear voices in the hallway: Cat first, then Jamie’s deep-toned reply. I lean against the table, face turned toward the kitchen door.

And then there she is, Willa.
Copyright © 2024 by Sarah Easter Collins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
“A captivating, haunting, and twisty story that explores the nature of loss and trauma, and the tricks that our memories play on us. A terrific debut from a promising talent.”—Karin Slaughter, the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author

“This is the One: the next must-read, must-recommend, must-discuss, must-re-read novel. A miraculous literary thriller, shocking, daring, moving, haunting, infinitely rewarding—as though Kate Atkinson and Ruth Rendell had joined forces. This, I hope, is the future of suspense writing.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

“Cleverly crafted and deeply moving, this beautiful book is a genuine page-turner. It was original, it was gripping, it was shocking, and I loved it.”—Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Rock Paper Scissors and Daisy Darker

“So, so, so, good. An elegant, twisting story of loss and longing, of the ache of the unknown and the drowning weight of past trauma. A very special debut.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End
 
“I couldn’t stop reading until it was finished. An enthralling mystery about the enduring love between sisters and the power of female friendship . . . Unmissable. Brava Sarah Easter Collins.”—Emilia Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Weyward

“I will be thinking about Things Don’t Break on Their Own for years. I loved it. I thought there were such echoes of Meg Mason in it. It’s a beautiful debut, thoughtful, quirky, rich in character. A clever thriller told through the lens of memory, and within that multiple recollections of a dinner party gone wrong. Collins asks the reader what we choose to hold in our minds, and what we might forget, too. It deserves to be huge.”—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

“A poignant, engrossing novel filled with characters I can't stop thinking about. Not just an absorbing mystery, but a heartfelt exploration of memory and family. I enjoyed it so much I didn't want it to end!”—Amy Tintera, author of the forthcoming Listen for the Lie

“Family secrets, female friendships, and a finely crafted plot . . . A compelling read.”—Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

“A gripping book about families, loyalty, lies, and love that is at once heartwarming and horrifying.”—Booklist, starred review

“A stray comment at a dinner party proves seismic in Easter Collins’s devastating debut. . . . [E]vocative prose holds the whole thing together, and Easter Collins enriches the mystery with some thoughtful reflections on the rippling effects of domestic violence. It’s an auspicious start.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Sarah Easter Collins goes straight for the gut and the heart. . . . Things Don’t Break on Their Own is a rare treasure, bursting with emotion and built to last.”—BookPage, starred review
© Bella West Photography
Sarah Easter Collins is a writer and artist. A mother to a wonderful son, she has worked extensively in the field of education, teaching art in the UK, Botswana, Thai­land, and Malawi. Sarah now lives on Exmoor with her husband and dogs, where she loves running and wild swimming. She is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course. View titles by Sarah Easter Collins

Discussion Guide for Things Don't Break on Their Own

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

About

“This is the one: the next must-read, must-recommend, must-discuss, must-re-read novel. A miraculous literary thriller, shocking, daring, moving, haunting, infinitely rewarding—as though Kate Atkinson and Ruth Rendell had joined forces.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST’S 12 THRILLERS TO READ THIS SUMMER • ONE OF BLOOMBERG’S TOP NEW BOOKS FOR YOUR SUMMER READING LIST

A heart-wrenching mystery about sisters, lovers, and a dinner party gone wrong.

Twenty-five years ago, a young girl left home to walk to school. Her younger sister soon followed. But one of them arrived, and one of them didn’t. 

Her sister’s disappearance has defined Willa’s life. Everyone thinks her sister is dead, but Willa knows she isn’t. Because there are some things that only sisters know about each other—and some bonds only sisters can break.

Willa sees fragments of her sister everywhere — the way that woman on the train turns her head, the gait of that woman in Paris. If there’s the slightest resemblance, Willa drops everything, and everyone, and tries to see if it is her.

When Willa is invited to a dinner party thrown by her first love, she has no reason to expect it will be anything other than an ordinary evening. Both of them have moved on, ancient history. But nothing about Willa’s life has been ordinary since the day her sister disappeared, and that’s not about to change tonight.

Sarah Easter Collins has written an extraordinary novel about memory, lost love, and long-buried secrets that sometimes see the light of day.

Excerpt

1

Supper with Friends

ROBYN

The match flares in the half-dark of our kitchen. As I lean toward the candles, light slips along the silver lines of the bowl that forms the centerpiece of the table. I stand back, making one final check of the linen, the glasses, the place settings, the eight mismatched chairs. Cat walks in.

“Okay,” she says, “the twins are asleep. Sophie’s in bed and reading. I’ve told her it’s fine to come down so long as she takes herself back up. What’s still to do?”

“We’re pretty much there. Make yourself a drink.”

“I’m saving myself for when Jamie gets here.”

“Don’t.”

“Last time he delivered us forty-five minutes on the engineering works between here and the coast. Remember? Forty-five sodding minutes. If he does that again, I’m feigning death.” My wife rummages in a drawer and pulls out a bottle opener. “I honestly don’t know what Willa sees in him.”

“He wants kids.”

“She’s well aware there’re other ways. Anyway, she’s got to want more than that—”

“It’s all she wants.”

“Basic compatibility for a start. I mean, why Jamie?”

“She’s thirty-eight. You know it’s a tricky subject.”

“Everything’s tricky—”

“Cat—”

“This was meant to be a family get-together. Sibs. It’s almost impossible to get Michael and Nate in London at the exact same time.”

“Willa’s practically family.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She’s been through so much.”

“Sure.” Cat gives me daggers, then just as quickly lets it go. “I know.”

I look at the table, running a hand through my hair. “D’you reckon everyone will get on?”

Cat pulls me to her. “Course they will. It’s nearly Christmas, plus we’ve been cooking all afternoon. They’re duty-bound. By the way,” she says, turning me so my silver top glitters in the candlelight, “you look truly lovely.”

“Thought I might dress up a little.”

“You always dress up for Willa,” she says, narrowing her eyes, “your first love.”

“I should never have told you that.”

“Doorbell,” she says. “I’ll go.”

I hear voices in the hallway: Cat first, then Jamie’s deep-toned reply. I lean against the table, face turned toward the kitchen door.

And then there she is, Willa.
Copyright © 2024 by Sarah Easter Collins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Reviews

“A captivating, haunting, and twisty story that explores the nature of loss and trauma, and the tricks that our memories play on us. A terrific debut from a promising talent.”—Karin Slaughter, the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author

“This is the One: the next must-read, must-recommend, must-discuss, must-re-read novel. A miraculous literary thriller, shocking, daring, moving, haunting, infinitely rewarding—as though Kate Atkinson and Ruth Rendell had joined forces. This, I hope, is the future of suspense writing.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window and End of Story

“Cleverly crafted and deeply moving, this beautiful book is a genuine page-turner. It was original, it was gripping, it was shocking, and I loved it.”—Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Rock Paper Scissors and Daisy Darker

“So, so, so, good. An elegant, twisting story of loss and longing, of the ache of the unknown and the drowning weight of past trauma. A very special debut.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End
 
“I couldn’t stop reading until it was finished. An enthralling mystery about the enduring love between sisters and the power of female friendship . . . Unmissable. Brava Sarah Easter Collins.”—Emilia Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Weyward

“I will be thinking about Things Don’t Break on Their Own for years. I loved it. I thought there were such echoes of Meg Mason in it. It’s a beautiful debut, thoughtful, quirky, rich in character. A clever thriller told through the lens of memory, and within that multiple recollections of a dinner party gone wrong. Collins asks the reader what we choose to hold in our minds, and what we might forget, too. It deserves to be huge.”—Gillian McAllister, New York Times bestselling author of Wrong Place Wrong Time

“A poignant, engrossing novel filled with characters I can't stop thinking about. Not just an absorbing mystery, but a heartfelt exploration of memory and family. I enjoyed it so much I didn't want it to end!”—Amy Tintera, author of the forthcoming Listen for the Lie

“Family secrets, female friendships, and a finely crafted plot . . . A compelling read.”—Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground

“A gripping book about families, loyalty, lies, and love that is at once heartwarming and horrifying.”—Booklist, starred review

“A stray comment at a dinner party proves seismic in Easter Collins’s devastating debut. . . . [E]vocative prose holds the whole thing together, and Easter Collins enriches the mystery with some thoughtful reflections on the rippling effects of domestic violence. It’s an auspicious start.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Sarah Easter Collins goes straight for the gut and the heart. . . . Things Don’t Break on Their Own is a rare treasure, bursting with emotion and built to last.”—BookPage, starred review

Author

© Bella West Photography
Sarah Easter Collins is a writer and artist. A mother to a wonderful son, she has worked extensively in the field of education, teaching art in the UK, Botswana, Thai­land, and Malawi. Sarah now lives on Exmoor with her husband and dogs, where she loves running and wild swimming. She is a graduate of the Curtis Brown Creative novel writing course. View titles by Sarah Easter Collins

Guides

Discussion Guide for Things Don't Break on Their Own

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

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