I've read a few of the author's novels as well as his beautifully written memoir The Scent of Dried Roses and Now We Are Forgiven is as well observed and compellingly written as I'd expect.
It's set in London and Brighton and begins in December 2019, the day after the shocking general election result and moves forward to Covid and the first lockdown of 2020. 19 year old China lives with her mother Veronica, stepfather Silas and step brother Mason in Brighton. She has a difficult relationship with her dad Frankie but when she decides to move in with him temporarily in London neither of them realise that they will soon be locked down together during a global pandemic.
I loved this novel, Lott writes a brilliant and insightful commentary on the state of Britain and the relationships between the generations. I loved the portrayal of the family relationships particularly between China and Frankie which felt frustratingly realistic.
A funny, well observed and ultimately hopeful read that I'd highly recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

A contemporary family drama which I enjoyed and read over two days.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher for the copy.

This is solid contemporary fiction, a snapshot of 'typical' untypical family life. Add in a pandemic, and you've got some quite gripping social realism.

There's quite a lot going on - a large cast of characters, different homes, people being stuck at home, in lockdown, with people they wouldn't normall choose to live with. The strains of people trying to put up with each other are well described.

The Pandemic. What a time to have lived through (and nobody knows if it's essentially past history now, or not). Most of us experienced that strange shock of being wrapped up in the joys and trials of our day-to-day life and suddenly dealing with all that AND having to simultaneously deal with the world going completely dystopian-movie-weird.

It's set in middle-class London, and the characters are very much of the time and place, but they also are ordinary people in extraordinary times. Just having lived through that time too gives you common ground with them.

So yeah, it's a lot. And that sense of 'it's a lot' really comes through in Now We Are Forgiven. People come together, people fall apart. They find love and support in unexpected places, and betrayal too. There's drama, and crushing boredom, but the book is never boring.

It makes for a rich and satisfying novel.

Interesting contemporary family saga. Tim Lott threads his characters through the needle of politics. Slightly uneven book with nice flourishes

Now We Are Forgiven is a return to Frankie Blue, star of two previous novels. Frankie is an estate agent from the White City area of London (hence the title of previous novel, White City Blue). This makes him a capitalist who does not have particularly sophisticated political thoughts and even less sophisticated friends. Frankie is not 'people like us'.

Yet middle aged Frankie has mellowed. He hankers after a partnership at the estate agency, but knows he will never be rich. He has remained friends with Nodge, his childhood friend who came out as gay. He tries to maintain a relationship with China, his difficult teenage daughter who lives in Brighton with Frankie's ex and her puritanical new man.

The story unfolds with China at the centre of family feuds exacerbated by Covid lockdowns and Frankie's new partner Roxie (Frankie and Roxie deserve each other). It is laddish, but more Bottom than The Young Ones.

Tim Lott's strength is capturing particular moments in our history and viewing them through the lens of a family situation. Now We Are Forgiven gets Covid as well as any other novel at the present time, and it provides the amusement of watching little Englanders being beauty to one another. I'm a big fan of Tim Lott and will happily read anything he puts our way - but I never expect like his characters.

Highly recommended.

Now We Are Forgiven by Tim Lott is about family life and people making sense of the world we live in.

In this contemporary novel, Lott examines several aspects of modern family life and the effect of Covid and lockdown on it. Frankie, Roxie, Veronica, China, Silas and Marshall make up a blended family full of cracks, and Lott includes JJ, Owen and Nodge as friends of the family. The novel tackles several themes here. China is a typical late-teenage daughter and though there are aspects of the characterisation of her and her father, Frankie that swerve perilously towards cliche, nonetheless the narrative is amusing. Not giving away any spoilers, but one of the major characters contracts Covid, and as one who has been victim to it myself, I felt that the description was incredibly apt and a real example of how that juxtaposition between the dark and light in this novel were expertly placed - and it is a light novel. It's humorous and compelling. It aims itself at us, the readers because it contains elements that most people could probably identify with. I wanted to continue reading to see how it all turned out in the end, and about the ending, yes, it worked well. No spoilers, but suffice to say, Lott gives you the impression that it *could* be a bit of a situation where all the loose ends are tied up nicely. Instead, the ending is highly satisfying. Entertaining and recommended. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.