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ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Tom Edwards doesn't really like his four children, though in his own way he does love them.
Dying with terminal cancer, he comes up with a plan to change his will and shake the kids up. The family property has always passed down the male line for generations, but does it have to continue that way? When he does die, and the will is read immediately after his children gather, they are in for a great shock – they have four days to build him a proper coffin, or the property passes to the somewhat dodgy lawyer who has drawn up the will.
Ultra-organised Christine, disregarded and stolid Jenny, flighty Sophie and entitled David all have their issues with their father and each other, but somehow they will put it all aside in an attempt to save the $20 million property from leaving family hands ...
At times quite darkly humourous, and at others very poignant, this is an entertaining and easily devoured novel about the things that make and break a family. Lindy
'Now that's the way to bury your old man ... he sank into his Jason recliner, wincing. A burial: a body wrapped in handwoven cloth, women dancing and wailing. Too much, in Tom's opinion, but at least they were mourning. To hell with that, at least they showed up.'
Tom Edwards is dying, and cranky. He's made his peace with the dying part. But he'd bet his property – the whole ten thousand acres of it – that there'd be no wailing at his funeral. His kids wouldn't be able to chop down a tree, let alone build a coffin to bury him in.
Then Tom has an idea ...
Christine is furious, David ashen-faced, and Sophie distracted. Only Jenny listens carefully as Vince Barton, of Barton & Sons, reads their father's will. Either they build his coffin – in four days – or they lose their inheritance. All of it.
A perceptive and unforgettable debut novel, The Deed explores the messy, sometimes volatile, complications that only the best and worst of family can bring. Sometimes greed can be good.
'Splendidly told through a rich layering of characterisation . . . Funny, heartfelt and unforgettable' SYDNEY ARTS GUIDE
By:
Susannah Begbie Read by:
Sibylla Budd Imprint: Hachette Australia Country of Publication: Australia Dimensions:
Height: 232mm,
Width: 152mm,
Spine: 32mm
Weight: 460g ISBN:9780733650796 ISBN 10: 0733650791 Pages: 352 Publication Date:01 May 2024 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Paperback Publisher's Status: Active
Susannah Begbie grew up in rural New South Wales on a sheep farm and is now a GP who has worked all over Australia. In 2006, Susannah started a Graduate Diploma in Professional Writing at Canberra University and was awarded the Editor's Pick for her short story 'Fly to Meet You' in the University's First Anthology. She was also awarded the best-written text for her children's book Don't You Dare! in The Get Real Project. The Deed is her first novel.
Reviews for The Deed
ABBEY'S BOOKSELLER PICK ----- Tom Edwards doesn't really like his four children, though in his own way he does love them.
Dying with terminal cancer, he comes up with a plan to change his will and shake the kids up. The family property has always passed down the male line for generations, but does it have to continue that way? When he does die, and the will is read immediately after his children gather, they are in for a great shock – they have four days to build him a proper coffin, or the property passes to the somewhat dodgy lawyer who has drawn up the will.
Ultra-organised Christine, disregarded and stolid Jenny, flighty Sophie and entitled David all have their issues with their father and each other, but somehow they will put it all aside in an attempt to save the $20 million property from leaving family hands ...
At times quite darkly humourous, and at others very poignant, this is an entertaining and easily devoured novel about the things that make and break a family. Lindy
