Six women. One man. Seven secrets. One could ruin them all.
Kit is a twenty-five-year-old archaeology undergrad, who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. Life seems purposeless. But if she could track down her father, Roger, maybe her perspective would change.
The only problem—Roger is as rotten as the decomposing oranges in her back yard according to the women in her life: Ailish, her mother—an English literature professor who communicates in quotes and clichés, and who still hasn't learned how to express emotion on her face; Ivy, her half-sister—a depressed archaeologist, with a slight case of nymphomania, who fled to America after a divorce to become a waitress; and Eleanor, Ivy's mother—a paediatric surgeon who embellishes her feelings with medical jargon, and named her daughter after "Intravenous."
Against all three women's wishes, Kit decides to find Roger. Enter a sister Kit never knew about. But everyone else did.
Industry Reviews
"A tightly plotted read with fascinating characters, Bitter Like Orange Peel compels readers to unravel the layers of intertwining stories until the shocking core is revealed."
Talli Roland, bestselling author of Build a Man
"While the title of this book alludes to the fresh citrus, there's nothing sweet about this tale. At the story's heart is a rotten mix of lies, mistrust and lives half-lived. It's a very modern drama that reveals itself like a segmented orange, leaving behind the aftertaste of its zesty but bitter peel." Lily Mulholland, short story writer
"Bitter Like Orange Peel IS rapid-fire story-telling through the eyes and mouths of multiple intersecting lives; it IS rough-edged dialogue and internal monologue; it IS soothed with narrative as smooth as poetry; it IS filled with perfect metaphors, uniquely-fitted and thought-provoking; and, it IS a work of art, as much poetry as personality mystery of the multiple characters. Bitter Like Orange Peel is NOT formulaic; it is NOT written from a single point-of-view; it is NOT predictable; and, there is NOT a single one-dimensional character in sight. ... It is a novel of lies and lies about lies abound. It is a novel complicated by those internal and external truths we all conceal from family, and ourselves. It is a novel about family strangers and strange family members. ... Bitter Like Orange Peel will not disappoint." Richard Hartwell, writer and poet
"The author did an excellent job of keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, wondering what will happen next. It was hard to put this book down. I kept thinking about the characters and maybe was a little worried about them from time to time. If an author can evoke that sort of reaction from readers, they are a real talent. A very skillful author indeed." Julie Whiteley, book reviewer for ClueReview
