The Memory of Animals

by Claire Fuller

First published 2023

Sandra lives in a slowly collapsing house on the eroding English coastline, watching her family's property disappear meter by meter into the sea. Her teenage daughter Molly refuses to leave, convinced their home holds critical memories about her deceased father. When a storm threatens to destroy their last remaining structure, Sandra must decide whether to salvage what's left or abandon generations of family history. As the ocean gnaws at their foundation, hidden documents and fragments of family mythology emerge, challenging everything Molly believes about her parents' past. The house becomes both sanctuary and tomb—a fragile monument to memory that cannot withstand nature's relentless pressure.

Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama

Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: family-legacy, fragile-home, unreliable-narrator

Setting: England, English Coastline

Period: Contemporary

307 pages · Paperback · Fig Tree

Content warnings: death

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