Brodie Crellin's Debut Novel Explores Family, Grief, and Queer Eros

Brodie Crellin's debut novel, 'A Sense of Occasion,' published by Jonathan Cape, centers on a dysfunctional family reuniting after the sudden death of Mary from sepsis. The story follows Patch, her adrift daughter, and Jude, her slick niece, as they navigate an uneasy reconciliation overseen by Patch's father Robin, an English teacher and actor. The novel is praised for its bold sex scenes and thoughtful examination of family as a constructed narrative. Crellin cites influences including Carson McCullers' 'The Member of the Wedding,' Ivy Compton-Burnett, Jean Stafford, Ursula Parrott, and the Patrick Melrose books. In an interview with Holly Connolly, Crellin discusses inverting the structure of 'Cassandra at the Wedding' (twins become cousins, wedding becomes funeral), writing sex as integral to plot, and treating grief as an immediate, absurd experience. The author emphasizes that family is a fiction maintained collectively, and that the erotic undercurrents in familial relationships are under-explored. All characters are bisexual, but Crellin focuses on their individual sexual desires rather than queer identity.