Ungrateful
Utterly gripping and emotional fiction about love, loss and second chances
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Dialogue
Published:2nd Jun '22
Should be back in stock very soon
In Ungrateful, Cat struggles with her past and the expectations of her partner, leading her to seek a path toward self-discovery and hope.
In Ungrateful, the protagonist Cat grapples with her past and the expectations placed upon her by those around her. Having escaped a turbulent childhood marked by her mother's alcoholism, she finds herself in a seemingly perfect life with her partner James. However, as the years pass, the comfort of her new life begins to feel suffocating. Surrounded by the trappings of middle-class living, Cat questions her choices and yearns for the opportunities that education could have provided her. This internal struggle sets the stage for a powerful narrative about self-discovery and the pursuit of one's dreams.
The story takes a pivotal turn when Cat encounters her teenage boyfriend Daniel, now a university lecturer. This unexpected reunion reignites a spark within her, prompting her to reconsider her life choices and the path she has taken. As she navigates her feelings for Daniel, Cat must confront the demons of her past and the impact they have on her present. The tension between her longing for a better future and the weight of her past creates a compelling dynamic that resonates throughout the novel.
Ultimately, Ungrateful explores themes of identity, class, and the complexities of gratitude. It poses the question of whether Cat can let go of her past and embrace the person she aspires to be, or if she is destined to remain trapped by her circumstances. With a blend of heartbreak and hope, this narrative encourages readers to reflect on their own lives and the choices that shape them.
I devoured Ungrateful in one sitting and immediately wanted to read it again. Angela Chadwick breathes life into a complex and overlooked heroine who you will root for with every inch of you. It is clever, gripping, heartbreaking but also ultimately hopeful. I want to read this book again and again and again.' -- Cat White
I loved it. As soon as I started reading, I was in. Ungrateful expertly explores the physical, emotional and intellectual repercussions of being born into poverty. Yet, with such strong characters, it is very a hopeful read. -- Lynne Voyce
Kept me on the edge of my seat, courageously challenging mainstream conceptions of class with an empowering message for positive change. Gets hold of the working-class stereotype and smashes it to bits. -- Shaun Wilson
A vivid depiction of how easy it is to get trapped by other people's expectations. Full of heartbreak but also hope, I really rooted for the women in this novel. -- Louise Hare
I inhaled this book! A powerful, realistic working class novel that asks if you can ever really escape from your past. I adored Cat and Bernice, recognised so much of my own life and just want to read it all over again. -- Eve Ainsworth
Very few heroines in contemporary fiction are as aspirational and resourceful yet torn and burdened as Catherine Brandon in Angela Chadwick's Ungrateful. With quiet clarity, Chadwick brings the undercurrents of class, race, debt and addiction to the surface, creating a vivid and fragile web of human interactions haunted by the price of self-reinvention and independence. It is a soul-questioning novel that helps us understand the currency of gratitude in our deeply imbalanced and transactional world in which to change one's life is to be indebted to someone else's. -- Kit Fan
Absolutely loved Ungrateful by Angela Chadwick. I resonated with the themes in all the ways - returning to education was the best thing I ever did for myself. Tried resisting until I'd finished book 2 but I am terribly easily led & this was a total pleasure.
Such a great read - so much of it touched me deeply and my own experience of starting again and struggling to feel worthy. Thank you Angela Chadwick for a beautiful read in a sunny corner -- Juno Roche
An elegy to unrealised potential, Ungrateful is a masterful exploration of class identity. Angela Chadwick navigates that liminal, cramped space between the roadblocks imposed upon us, and the ones we erect for ourselves. Compulsively readable with huge heart. -- Alex Allison
ISBN: 9780349702308
Dimensions: 234mm x 158mm x 38mm
Weight: 600g
384 pages