Things Don't Break on Their Own: A Novel

“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.”—Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark EDGAR AWARD FINALIST • A BOOKPAGE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • A WASHINGTON POST AND BLOOMBERG BEST BOOK OF THE SEASON 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.

About the Author :
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.

Review :
“Edge-of-your-seat new thrillers . . . terrific. . . . There’s a murder here, and it happens when you least expect it.”—Sarah Lyall, The New York Times “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. . . . 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