The House of Memories

by Monica McInerney

  No, there definitely wasn’t time now to worry about a headache. It would have to wait until January. Perhaps she could combine a visit to the specialist in Adelaide with a shopping trip. She could even treat herself to a nice solo lunch afterwards in one of the restaurants near the river. She could sit there with a book and a glass of wine, take as long as she liked. Perhaps she could even stay the night before the four-hour journey home again. Yes, that’s exactly what she’d do. Have some peace and quiet. What did they call it in the magazines? Having ‘me time’?

  But not tonight. There was no time for any of that tonight. She had a Christmas letter to write and send. She turned back to the computer, fighting that overwhelmed feeling again. She thought back over everything that had happened to her family during the past twelve months, wondering how on earth she could turn it all into one of her cheery Christmas letters. Joan’s voice suddenly came to her mind, as if she was standing there beside her.

  Go for it, love! Let it rip! Tell the truth! It’s good for you.

  She actually laughed out loud. Tell the truth? How could she?

  Go for it, love! It’s good for you.

  Angela stared at the screen for a long moment. Then she started a new letter, typing faster than she’d ever typed before.

  ALSO BY MONICA MCINERNEY

  At the Valley View Motel in South Australia’s picturesque Clare Valley, eighty-four-year-old Lola Quinlan is up to her usual mischief. She’s sent her family away for Christmas and invited a number of mystery guests to come and stay. But who are all these people, and why aren’t they spending the festive season with their own loved ones?

  As the big day draws closer and Lola’s personal family dramas threaten to unravel her plans, she discovers that at a special time of year, magic can happen in every family – especially your own.

  From the bestselling author of At Home with the Templetons comes a funny, sad and moving novel about memories and moments and the very meaning of life.

  ‘Some novels are simply very special.

  This is one of those novels.’

  HELLO! MAGAZINE

  When the Templeton family from England takes up residence in a stately home in country Australia, they set the locals talking – and with good reason. From the outside, the seven Templetons seem so unusual, peculiar even.

  No one is more intrigued by the family than their neighbours, single mother Nina Donovan and her young son Tom. Before long, the two families’ lives become entwined in unexpected ways, to the delight of Gracie, the youngest of the Templeton daughters.

  In the years that follow, the relationships between the Templetons and the two Donovans twist and turn in unpredictable and life-changing directions, until a tragedy tears them all apart. What will it take to bring them together again?

  From one of Australia’s favourite female novelists comes her best book yet – a wonderfully entertaining and touching story about the perils and pleasures of love, friendship and family.

  ‘An exquisite novel, which combines well-crafted characters

  with a captivating story … McInerney’s latest offering is

  guaranteed to enthral her legions of adoring fans.’

  ULSTER TATLER, IRELAND

  ‘If you need more proof what a superior storyteller

  this author is, here it is.’

  WEST AUSTRALIAN

  A group of friends on an unconventional diet learn some important life lessons, a fashion-challenged grandmother weaves some magic in a dusty charity shop, a grieving young mother takes a healing journey, and a shy woman from a family of high achievers learns to follow her dreams.

  From one of Australia’s most loved authors comes All Together Now, a collection of Monica McInerney’s short fiction gathered between two covers for the first time. Including several of her earliest magazine short stories, contributions to recent anthologies, her popular novella, Odd One Out, and two new stories, this is a book to inspire and delight fans of all ages.

  Family relationships, sibling rivalry, love lost and love found – these stories touch on the popular themes of Monica McInerney’s hugely successful novels, and are brimming with her trademark colour, warmth and humour.

  ‘It’s an almost sinful pleasure to delve into anything written

  by Monica McInerney, whose delightful prose brings her rich

  characters to sparkling life.’

  IRISH AMERICAN POST, USA

  ‘Her books are for handbags and airports, traffic jams, railway

  stations and bus stops. They make us forget the irritating

  details of the day.’

  SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

  As a child, Maggie Faraday grew up in a lively, unconventional household in Tasmania, with her young mother, four very different aunts and eccentric grandfather. With her mother often away, all four aunts took turns looking after her – until, just a few weeks before Maggie’s sixth birthday, a shocking event changed everything.

  Twenty years on, Maggie is living alone in New York City when a surprise visit from her grandfather brings a revelation and a proposition to reunite the family. As the Faradays gather in Ireland, Maggie begins to realise that the women she thought she knew so intimately all have something to hide …

  Those Faraday Girls is a rich and complex story full of warmth, humour and unforgettable women. Spanning several countries and thirty years, it is a deeply moving novel about family secrets and lies – and how the memories that bind us together can also keep us apart.

  ‘A story that’s impossible to put down.’

  WOMAN’S DAY

  ‘McInerney is Australia’s answer to Maeve Binchy,

  a modern-day Jane Austen.’

  SUN HERALD

  Tour guide Harriet Turner knows all about journeys. She’s arranged hundreds of them for the travel agency her family runs. But nothing has prepared her for the drama, the hilarity or the passion of the Willoughby tour …

  When her foster sister Lara vanishes suddenly, Harriet has to step in and lead a party of tourists on a theme tour of Devon and Cornwall. The eccentric group are fans of Willoughby, an English TV detective show, and can’t wait to meet Patrick Shaw-cross, the handsome actor who played him fifteen years ago.

  For Harriet, the tour turns into a different kind of journey – a journey of self-discovery. She finds herself confronting questions about her family, her childhood, and her powerful feelings for Patrick Shawcross.

  And the most puzzling question of all: where is Lara?

  Family Baggage is a funny, warm, moving novel of family secrets, dilemmas and dynamics by this popular author.

  ‘A charming and intriguing jigsaw that eventually comes

  together in a moving and deeply satisfying way. This is one of

  those rare books you could recommend to anyone and know

  that they’ll love it.’

  AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY, ‘GREAT READ’

  Sisters are always there for each other … aren’t they?

  Anna, Bett and Carrie were childhood singing stars – the Alphabet Sisters. As adults they haven’t spoken for years. Not since Bett’s fiancé left her for another sister …

  Now Lola, their larger-than-life grandmother, summons them home for a birthday extravaganza and a surprise announcement. But just as the rifts begin to close, the Alphabet Sisters face a test none of them ever imagined.

  An unforgettable story of three women who learn that being true to themselves means being true to each other.

  ‘Tender and well-observed … there is also plenty

  of McInerney’s trademark wit, but have the hankies ready

  for this, probably her best novel yet.’

  IRISH INDEPENDENT

  ‘McInerney is a dab hand at getting her characters exactly right.

  They are utterly believable, often loveable and familiar.’

  WEST AUSTRALIAN

  ‘A gentle and life-affirming story. We come away feeling

  better about t
he world and, maybe, just a little more tender

  towards those close to us.’

  SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

  Lainey Byrne is a woman in control, juggling a hectic job, her boyfriend Adam and a family with more than its fair share of dramas. Things go into a spin when she is wrenched from her life in Melbourne to run a B&B in Ireland for a year. Bed-and-breakfast quickly tumbles into bed and-bedlam, especially when a reunion with childhood friend Rohan Hartigan sparks an unexpected dilemma.

  Meanwhile, back in Australia, her father’s taken to his bed, her mother’s up the walls, her three brothers are running amok – and as for Adam …

  It’s going to take more than a game of spin the bottle to sort this one out!

  ‘Disarmingly funny … McInerney’s story and plot resonates

  with a Maeve Binchy kind of generosity of spirit …

  Compassionate, clever and sometimes poignant.’

  THE AGE

  ‘Her best yet … a funny and poignant story … a novel which

  fairly cracks along with a mix of humour, a touch of blarney

  and insight into the pressures and strains in contemporary

  relationships.’

  COURIER-MAIL

  ‘This is comfort reading – warm-buttered toast with Irish

  honey spread right to the crusts.’

  ADELAIDE ADVERTISER

  Ever been tempted to pretend you were someone exotic, someone adventurous … someone different?

  Set in Ireland, England and Australia, this is the funny and heartwarming story of two people whose lives are about to turn upside down and inside out.

  Eva is off to Australia on a break from her job in a Dublin delicatessen, hoping to forget a fizzled romance and find inspiration for a new career. Joseph is taking a holiday from his stressful London job. Each is on a search for some answers about life. Then something quite unexpected happens. They meet each other.

  Upside Down Inside Out is a novel about love, adventure, honesty and discovering that the person you’ve always wanted to be might just be the person you already are.

  ‘Sparkling … it’s all systems go for a wonderful romance …

  a charming story told with large doses of love and humour.’

  AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY

  ‘McInerney has a great insight into human nature

  and relationships and a good line in humour.’

  SUNDAY WORLD, IRELAND

  ‘An effervescent blend of romance, humour,

  travel and adventure.’

  MARIE CLAIRE

  Maura Carmody’s off on the trip of a lifetime. A talented chef, she’s travelling around Ireland for a month to promote Australian food and wine.

  She’s expecting a straightforward business trip. But what she gets is a whirlwind of mishaps, misunderstandings, rivals and revelations – and Dominic Hanrahan, who’s giving her plenty of food for thought.

  Set in Ireland and Australia, A Taste for It is a warm, funny novel about following your heart and pursuing your dreams.

  ‘Charm, romance and humour.’

  AUSTRALIAN WOMEN’S WEEKLY

  ‘Effervescent … overflows with good humour and laughter.’

  SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

  ‘It takes only a minute or so before Monica McInerney’s

  take on the world has you laughing. A feelgood

  funny story … romantic comedy at its best.’

  WEST AUSTRALIAN

  ‘Monica McInerney bursts on to the scene with A Taste for It,

  a funny, jet-setting tale of fine dining, love and revenge.’

  SHE

  Reading group notes for The House of Memories by Monica McInerney

  The House of Memories is a novel about an extended family and their journey through grief. Does this necessarily make it a bleak story?

  There are moments in the novel where we feel deep sympathy towards Ella, but are there also times when it’s not so easy to understand her actions?

  Is Ella’s decision to distance herself from the rest of her family justified, do you think?

  Lucas and his wonderful house are described in colourful detail. Discuss the importance of the setting for the novel.

  Why do you think the author changes to first-person narration for Ella’s chapters? Did you find this an effective device?

  The complexity of blended-family life is acutely examined here. Why is it that Ella can have such a wonderful relationship with Charlie and such a vexed one with Jessica?

  Did you love Jess or hate her?

  There are many different parenting roles portrayed in the book. For example, Meredith, Charlie, Ella, Aidan. Does anyone strike you as being a ‘better’ parent than another?

  Discuss the theme of communication throughout the novel. In what major and minor ways does it play out in the text?

  The Fox family is so fabulously unique. Why, then, does this story resonate so profoundly with people whose families are nothing like theirs?

  MICHAEL JOSEPH

  Published by the Penguin Group

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  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  First published by Penguin Group (Australia), 2012

  Text copyright © Monica McInerney 2012

  The moral right of the author has been asserted

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Laura Thomas © Penguin Group (Australia)

  Cover images: Woman: ©Ocean/Corbis; Wooden plane: bogdan ionescu/Shutterstock;Vase: African Studio/Shutterstock

  penguin.com.au

  ISBN: 978-1-74253-659-0