A Sense of Occasion

A Novel

By: Brodie Crellin

An electric, stylish—and very British—novel exploring the tensions and transgressions of relationships and sex, as one dysfunctional family gathers for a funeral

After Mary’s sudden death, a fractured family reunites in a small English village for a funeral over a hot summer weekend.

Patch is clearly overwhelmed by hosting a wake for her mother in her childhood home but is trying to muddle through, starting with the menu. Robin wants to support, but instead of assuming the role of responsible father, he heads to his former haunt: the lay-by where he used to meet farmers for sex.

Meanwhile, Jude is on her way from Naples, worrying less about her estranged cousin Patch and more about whether there’s a medicinal bag of cocaine in the trunk of her rental car. She hasn’t told the family she’s en route.

Thrown together in Mary’s tiny home, each member of the family is trying to feel something: to atone, to punish, to be better. But they rarely have one another’s best interests at heart, and as the connection between them twists and contorts, they lose sight of the rules and grasp toward anything that might make it all less painful.

Darkly funny, astute, and highly entertaining, A Sense of Occasion subverts and perverts expectations to explore the dysfunctional nature of family, relationships and sex, and the fractious desires that simmer beneath.

Critic reviews

"Assured, perfectly paced, sexy and intelligent, A Sense of Occasion is truly profound on the costs of performing one’s sexuality in public and private. I read it in a day; it was difficult to stop." —Merve Emre, author of The Ferrante Letters and The Personality Brokers

“It would be a mistake to call the members of Brodie Crellin’s fictional family unlikeable characters – they’re simply real, recognizable characters. Crellin has a genius for tracking the internal logic behind all kinds of catastrophically bad behavior. A Sense of Occasion is a wonderful book, at once shrewd and ethereal." —Chris Kraus, author of The Four Spent the Day Together

“Meet the family!—and observe their interesting sex lives, depicted with joy and forensic subtlety. Crellin’s delicious comedy of class, gender and sexuality seems to explode as our relatives heedlessly relate to each other in ways imaginable and beyond. And if that’s not enough, herein you will find the greatest orgasm even written.” —Robert Glück, author of About Ed

“Unforgettable. . . Crellin explores the boundless complications of sexuality, desire and love with rigor, intelligence and humor. Here are characters and relationships which feel strange, distinctive and always true.” —Rachel Connolly, author of Lazy City

“Crellin is an astonishing writer, their sentences ring like bells and are so sharp and perfect. This book is sexy, terrifying, keen and startling.” —Daisy Johnson, author of Everything Under and Sisters

“An outstanding debut by a singular voice. A Sense of Occasion favours honesty over sentimentality, embracing the claustrophobic atmosphere of totally dysfunctional families. A rare, funny novel.” —Nicola Dinan, author of Disappoint Me

“Smart, often so funny, and incredibly moving, Brodie Crellin explores love, desire, family, and dynamics of power, care and dependence with total honesty. A Sense of Occasion is a masterfully constructed novel. . . profound, immersive, visceral, tender, deeply accomplished and completely unique.” —Harriet Armstrong, author of To Rest Our Minds and Bodies