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About the Author

All preorders for this title are expected to be ready to ship by the end of October! If you are ordering other titles, order this preorder separately to receive the other titles first.

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Finalist for the 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

When an ageing matriarch needs care, five siblings are forced to confront the ties that bind them.

For years, Nai Nai has been cared for by her eldest daughter. But when First Sister announces that she can no longer shoulder the responsibility, her four siblings are forced to confront a question nobody wants to answer: who will look after Nai Nai now? What begins as a practical discussion soon spirals into accusations, resentment and long-buried secrets. As old wounds resurface and loyalties are tested, the ghost of a long-dead patriarch lingers at the edges, watching over the family he left behind.

Set in Malaysia, A Family Inconvenience is a gripping novel about duty, sacrifice and the invisible bargains that hold families together.

“My novel is a playful take on the family drama genre, expanding the focus to extended family members, who each have their own problems and dreams. At the same time, they must confront the realities of ageing parents and unreliable children, hoping that each generation will improve on the one before.”
—Kwan Ann Tan
Kwan Ann Tan is a Malaysian writer. Her work has appeared in The Offing, Joyland Magazine, Sine Theta Magazine and Tahoma Literary Review. An alumnus of the Tin House Winter Workshop, she also creates short interactive text-based games and fiction. Her interactive novella The Waiter is scheduled for release in 2025. You can find more of her writing at kwananntan.carrd.co.

Authors

A Family Inconvenience (Preorder)