Fault Lines

The first book to address the issue of family estrangement, based on intensive research, in-depth interviews and survey data, by internationally recognised family sociologist Dr Karl Pillemer.

What problem touches millions of people and causes distress so profound that it can last a lifetime? What if no reliable professional guidance exists for this problem, so most people who suffer from it are on their own in finding solutions?

This critically important issue - and hidden epidemic - is family estrangement. Few problems are so widespread and so damaging, sometimes for decades and across generations, and yet there has not been a definitive, popular and data-informed book about how families are broken and stay broken - until now.

Fault Lines is a fascinating, moving and above all practical treatment of this complex issue, aimed at adults of all ages. Based on 300 in-depth interviews with 1,800 individuals, this book captures the eloquence of ordinary people facing family challenges that threaten their identity, health and well-being, relying on sources never before available, including a unique combination of rich, in-depth interviews, data from large-scale surveys and conversations with leading family therapists.

This is the first book to reveal successful strategies from people who have found ways to repair rifts or live peacefully with the consequences when nothing can be done - and the first to offer hope to broken families which need it the most.

(P)2021 Penguin Random House Audio