Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak will be featured on the Radio 2 Book Club on Monday 11 December.
We have the chance for you to win 10 copies of this fantastic festive novel for your reading group! Please enter by Friday 15 December.
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We also have an exclusive extract available for you to read as well as a discussion guide for your reading group.
Seven Days of Us
It’s Christmas, and the Birch family are coming together at their second home in Norfolk.
Emma and Andrew’s daughter, Olivia, is back for the first time in years, and while Emma is elated, her younger, more frivolous daughter Phoebe is braced for inevitable clashes.
But aid worker Olivia is only home because she has nowhere else to go. Having recently returned from Africa, where she’s been treating a life-threatening virus, she has been instructed to stay in quarantine for a week, and so, too, should her family. For the next seven days, no one can leave the house, and no one can enter. It doesn’t sound too hard.
But a week with your nearest and dearest can feel like eternity, especially when they’re all harbouring secrets.
One of whom is about to come knocking on their door…
Selection panel review
The book was selected with the help of a panel of library staff from across the UK.
Our readers loved Seven Days of Us – here are some of their comments:
“I was absolutely captivated by this book – it’s funny, warm-hearted and captures all the frustrations and difficulties of family life really well, particularly when everyone comes home for a big occasion and has to get used to living in close quarters again. The story takes place over a week at Christmas, and it’s exactly the sort of book to make you want to stay inside reading in December. Everyone will recognise themselves or a loved one in one of the characters here, but the story is so well told that it never feels boring or repetitive.”
“Loved this. It’s compellingly plotted and I ended up reading it in a couple of days, looking forward to my next opportunity to pick it up! It’s cleverly written, taking the perspectives of several different people and revealing, bit by bit, the secrets they’re keeping from themselves and others. Both funny and incredibly sad at points, I can see why it’s compared to a Richard Curtis film.”
“A beautifully told story of family life, the characters are all lovely and although the situation is highly unusual the interaction of the family is the same as any other family. The chapters are told by different characters so you get to see all points of view along with a time line covering the seven days. I was gripped from beginning to end. The perfect book for escapism over the Christmas Holiday.”
About the author
Francesca Hornak is a journalist and writer, whose work has appeared in newspapers and magazines including the Sunday Times, Guardian, Grazia, Stylist, Elle, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan and Red. Her previous books include History of the World in 100 Modern Objects and Worry with Mother. Francesca lives in London.
Get involved
Tune in to Simon Mayo’s Drivetime show on Monday 11 December to hear a live interview with Francesca.
Have you read Seven Days of Us? You can share your thoughts with us on Twitter using #7DaysofUs or follow Francesca.
You can also see what other readers thought or add the book to your group’s reading list.
Want to find out more? Take a look at the Radio 2 Book Club Twitter feed or find out more on the Radio 2 Book Club website.
