The Best of Everything

This is a book of such tenderness, full of pain, grief and despair and yet playful and joyful at the same time. Kit de Waal has an uncanny ability to create vivid characters with such empathy that I want to reach into the pages to hug them. I truly loved this book – Liz Nugent, author of Strange Sally DiamondA profoundly compassionate novel of devastating power and emotional complexity – Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize-winning author of Girl, Woman, OtherTender… A beautifully judged tale extolling the virtues of kindness * Guardian *Affecting… a story of loneliness and sacrifice that navigates great sorrow with a remarkable lightness of touch * The Times *De Waal’s tone is warm and wise… she has a knack for the small charming moment. Very moving * Observer *What a wonderful novel, bursting with life. Kit de Waal is a writer who knows all the secret longings of the human heart – Cathy Rentzenbrink, author of Ordinary TimeBeautiful. De Waal has the power to astound, to lift and console, to make life with her sentences – Donal Ryan, author of The Queen of Dirt IslandSo deeply moving. Sad and beautiful and true – Annie Macmanus, author of The Mess We’re InEverything de Waal has written pulls at the heartstrings… tenderly explores how to build a life of meaning * I-Paper *A beautiful novel about kindness and found family * Mail on Sunday *A beautiful novel about kindness and found family * Good Housekeeping *Full of warmth, this is a joyous story about love, and what family means to each of us * Prima *Devastating and uplifting * Grazia *Paulette’s life story is ultimately told with deep affection and tenderness, allowing the reader to form a genuine connection with her and those around her… Life is complicated, especially when a person is tested in the way that she is. In the very best people, like this one, setbacks create resilience. There is somehow still room for hope * Irish Independent *Paulette was such a wonderful character, giving so much and making do with so little, tough but vulnerable, as perhaps all mothers are….De Waal writes brilliantly about forgiveness without glossing over its difficulties. Paulette’s relationship with Nellie is the beating heart of the book and a reminder that there are more interesting kinds of love than the ones usually celebrated in novels. – Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures and Shy CreaturesOozes with warmth and joy * Best *

Kit de Waal is the author of:

• My Name Is Leon, which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and won the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year. It was recently adapted as a film for BBC Two.
• The Trick to Time, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.
• Supporting Cast, a short story collection.
• Without Warning & Only Sometimes, a memoir, which was shortlisted for Biography of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.
• The Best of Everything, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

She is also the editor of the anthology Common People.

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