Lonely Mouth cover art

Lonely Mouth

A delicious summer read for foodies who love a side of family drama

 Preview

Listen with Audible free trial

Free with 30-day trial
Prime logo New to Audible Prime Member exclusive:
2 credits with free trial
1 credit a month to use on any title to download and keep
Listen to anything from the Plus Catalogue—thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts and audiobooks
Download titles to your library and listen offline
₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Lonely Mouth

Written by: Jacqueline Maley
Narrated by: Hannah Fredericksen
Free with 30-day trial

₹199.00 per month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for ₹568.70

Buy Now for ₹568.70

Sink your teeth into a slice of family drama with this deliciously funny novel about sisterhood, secrets and the things you can't stomach.

Matilda knows about hunger. She works in one of Sydney's buzziest restaurants, Bocca, while suppressing her cravings, including for her celebrity chef boss, Colson. Everything in her life is tightly controlled: she allows herself one weekend a month to feast and purge, the rest of the time, she stays perfect.

That is, until her younger half-sister Lara crashes back into town, stirring up the family’s chaotic past and bringing long-buried family secrets to the surface. As the pressure rises in the kitchen and at home, Matilda’s carefully compartmentalised life begins to unravel.

A deliciously moreish book club novel about food, appetite, body image, family dysfunction and desire – perfect for readers looking for a smart summer holiday read.

‘Witty, savage and poignant’ NIGELLA LAWSON
'Humane and deeply, darkly humorous' MARINA KEMP, author of UNWILDING
'Gorgeous, mesmerising' CLAIRE POWELL, author of ALL IN

© Jacqueline Maley 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction World Literature
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1

Critic Reviews

A song of abandonment, ghastly mothers, dysfunctional families, sisterhood and loss... Witty, savage and poignant (NIGELLA LAWSON)
[Lonely Mouth] is brilliant on how repressing the past rather than dealing with it means it’s always there, ready to ruin the present too
An incredible read about families, body image and the importance of letting go
Exploring themes of addiction, love, loss and abandonment, Maley’s nuanced novel feels like a pressure cooker ready to explode
Richly drawn, wry and utterly compelling. I devoured it in a weekend (FELICITY CLOAKE)
Lonely Mouth is humane and deeply, darkly humorous. Maley has a gift for character. Her cast of misfits stayed with me long after reading (MARINA KEMP, author of The Unwilding)
Packed full of gripping family dysfunction, we devoured this. Just don't read it when you're hungry!
I'm so glad to have discovered Jacqueline Maley. She writes with wit, poise and precision, while her characters are devastatingly real. Lonely Mouth is a gorgeous, mesmerising novel (CLAIRE POWELL, author of At The Table)
Complex, layered, and gut-wrenching, Lonely Mouth laces personal trauma and family dysfunction with humour and humanity. A singularly rich and moreish novel – I couldn't get enough of it (GRAINNE O'HARE, author of Thirst Trap)
Read the first sentence of Jacqueline Maley’s debut novel, and you will be in it until the end. Electrifying, deeply unsettling and so, so satisfying. And, if you’ve ever tried to manage the sharp end of a career with the blunt demands of parenthood, fiercely recognisable (MEG MASON, on The Truth About Her)
No reviews yet