From the bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—now a hit Netflix series—a new thought-provoking novel exploring the complexity of motherhood and all that connects and disconnects us.
“Taut, clever, compelling and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.”
— PAULA HAWKINS, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Girl On The Train and Into The Water
She is a stay-at-home mother-of-three with boundless reserves of patience, energy, and love. After being friends for a decade, this is how Liz sees Jess.
Then one moment changes everything.
Dark thoughts and carefully guarded secrets surface—and Liz is left questioning everything she thought she knew about her friend, and about herself. The truth can’t come soon enough.
With Sarah Vaughan’s signature “clever and compelling” (Claire Douglas, author of Last Seen Alive) prose, Little Disasters is a tightly-wound and evocative page-turner that will haunt you long after you finish the last page.
“Taut, clever, compelling and guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat…”
— PAULA HAWKINS
“A deep dive into the dark side of motherhood. Highly recommended”
— ERIN KELLY
“Gripping and compassionate but most importantly, a novel that will change lives”
— BRYONY GORDON
“Compelling, beautifully written, so perceptive and emotionally devastating. Like Anatomy of a Scandal, it feels like an important book as well as a brilliant read”
— LUCY FOLEY, AUTHOR OF THE HUNTING PARTY
“Sarah Vaughan turns her pin-sharp attentions to the blame game that is early parenthood, raising the stakes to truly fearful levels. This tense, absorbing read will have parents - in fact, all readers - turning the pages deep into the night”
— LOUISE CANDLISH, AUTHOR OF THOSE PEOPLE
“Little Disasters takes on another topical and emotive issue with the same skill and command Vaughan showed in Anatomy of a Scandal”
— CARA HUNTER, AUTHOR OF ALL THE RAGE
“Vaughan explores the darker impulses of motherhood - the fear, fury and despair; the frantic juggling, loss of control and exhaustion - and of course the overwhelming love. Refreshingly assured and punchy writing that is sure to hit a nerve”
— LUCY ATKINS
“A brilliant storyteller, Vaughan serves up every mother’s nightmare with consummate skill and a big heart. Clever. Totally compelling. Impossible to put down”
— EVE CHASE, AUTHOR OF BLACK RABBIT HALL
“I loved it and didn’t want to put it down. So, so good on motherhood and friendship.”
— LAURA MARSHALL, AUTHOR OF FRIEND REQUEST
“I read this with a fascinated, mounting sense of horror because it could all be too true. Compulsive reading with an ending I didn’t see coming”
— JANE CORRY, AUTHOR OF I LOOKED AWAY
“A true psychological thriller shows us, as all the best ones do, that the scariest place is not the dark alleyway but inside the pathways of our own minds. Compelling... and important”
— ARAMINTA HALL, AUTHOR OF OUR KIND OF CRUELTY
“An immaculately researched and compelling story about the devastating fall out from one mistake”
— JANE SHEMILT, AUTHOR OF THE PLAYGROUND
“Each character is brilliantly drawn, and the book delivers surprise after surprise”
— CLAIRE FULLER, AUTHOR OF BITTER ORANGE
“Absolutely brilliant; an emotionally devastating story, brave and honest”
— EMMA CURTIS, AUTHOR OF ONE LITTLE MISTAKE
“Sarah’s writing is so impressive and skillful - the book is gripping, meticulous, and touches the raw nerves of parenthood”
— TERRY STIASTNY, AUTHOR OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
“A fabulous twisty look at early motherhood and friendships. Domestic noir and psyche thriller, it’s brave and brilliant”
— FIONNUALA KEARNEY, AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF LOVE
“Sarah Vaughan manages to hit that rare sweet spot between satisfying, literary writing and a plot that grips you by the throat. Little Disasters is every bit as brilliant as Anatomy of a Scandal. Superb”
— CASS GREEN, AUTHOR OF THE KILLER INSIDE
“I’m broken. What a brave, beautiful, gut-wrenching book. Bravo!”
— PAUL BURSTON, AUTHOR OF THE CLOSER I GET
“After putting a politician accused of rape at the centre of her 2018 hit Anatomy of a Scandal, Vaughan relegates men to backseat roles in an expertly crafted follow-up... Fans of Anatomy may miss the courtroom tension, but the psychological portraiture in this absorbing study of motherhood is just as rich.”
— SUNDAY TIMES
“Sarah Vaughan, who hit the bestseller lists with Anatomy of a Scandal, is back with her fourth novel, the shocking, impossible-to-look-away Little Disasters.”
— THE OBSERVER
“Sarah Vaughan brings to this book the same tension building expertise that made her bestseller Anatomy of a Scandal such a success… Vaughan combines a convincing plot with a perceptive handling of difficult issues around modern female friendships and postnatal depression.”
— DAILY MAIL
“In a culture that fetishises motherhood, Sarah Vaughan’s novel is an invaluable corrective, a warning about the terrible effects parenting can have on mental health. It is also a very cunningly plotted mystery. Her last novel, Anatomy of a Scandal, was a big hit but I found Little Disasters more convincing and compassionate.”
— SUNDAY EXPRESS
“Motherhood is also a thorny issue in Sarah Vaughan’s second psychological thriller, Little Disasters… Told from multiple points of view, this raw and painfully real portrayal of insecurities, guilt, shame and postnatal anxiety is complex, nuanced and moving.”
— THE GUARDIAN
“An intimate and cleverly layered look at complex relationships which weaves issues of mental health and neglect into a compelling page-turner. Vaughan also explores the pressures of parenting: the worry and guilt; the challenge of nurturing a marriage amid the demands of small children; and keeping secrets buried beneath the worktops and freshly ironed baby clothes. And she turns a gimlet eye on the way people suppress truth from each other – and from themselves. You’ll be kept on the edge of your seat by this carefully crafted novel with multiple twists throughout. It makes for an emotional, often terrifying, and completely gripping read.”
— DAILY EXPRESS
“Sarah Vaughan’s latest novel markets itself as a psychological thriller but is more of an exploration of the intensity of motherhood. Thought provoking and delicately executed.”
— PRESS ASSOCIATION
“Sarah Vaughan has crafted a psychological drama with great depth.”
— WOMAN'S OWN
“The compelling one. Following on from Anatomy of a Scandal, Vaughan delivers another highly emotional, nail-biting read that you’ll tear through in no time at all.”
— HEAT MAGAZINE
“In her last novel, Anatomy of a Scandal, Sarah Vaughan used a rape trial to explore attitudes to women and their sexuality. Here she moves on to another area in which everyone feels free to criticise any woman perceived as falling short… Painful and realistic, this is a novel that should be read by everyone planning to have a child.”
— THE LITERARY REVIEW
“Sarah Vaughan manages to hit that rare sweet spot between satisfying, literary writing and a plot that grips you by the throat. Little Disasters is every bit as brilliant as Anatomy of a Scandal. Superb”
— CASS GREEN, AUTHOR OF THE KILLER INSIDE
“An emotionally intelligent and beautifully written thriller that oozes with tension. Just when I thought I had things figured out, Sarah throws us a curveball which turns everything on its head. Rich and authentic, this is a truly remarkable book”
— CLAIRE DOUGLAS
“Sarah Vaughan delivers another masterful page-turner, this time tackling early motherhood at its least joyful. As with Anatomy of a Scandal, she writes with intelligence and compassion; the result is a truly gripping read”
— CATHERINE ISAAC, AUTHOR OF MESSY, WONDERFUL US
“A searing but compelling and entertaining examination of the pressures of motherhood. I loved it ”
— LIZ NUGENT, AUTHOR OF OUR LITTLE CRUELTIES
