From the bestselling author of Latitudes of Melt and An Audience of Chairs: The Birthday Lunch is the story of one pivotal week in the life of a family facing a tragic loss, rich with dramatic tension and beautifully rendered.

Free-spirited Lily has always played the peacemaker between her fierce, doting sister, Laverne, and her own loving, garrulous husband, Hal, as they competed for her attention. The competition has only grown worse since the three of them moved into a large house in the town of Sussex, New Brunswick. On Lilys 58thbirthday, a steamy day in late June, Laverne feels she has bested Hal by winning her sisters company for a gourmet lunch, but it becomes a bitter and short-lived victory when the days events take an unexpected and tragic turn.
InThe Birthday Lunch, Joan Clark explores the different ways each member of Lily’s family confronts her shocking death: Hal’s open sorrow, her