Australian author Madeleine Gray, following her award-winning debut Green Dot, returns with a compelling new novel that delves into the complex, life-altering bond between two women. Chosen Family is a smart and funny exploration of friendship, love, and the blurred lines that define modern relationships.
A Lifelong Bond Tested by Time and Truth
The narrative centres on Nell and Eve, who first meet as twelve-year-olds at a girls' school in Sydney. Gray adeptly moves the story between the 2000s and the present day, much like David Nicholls's One Day, charting their journey from adolescent pressures and university life to the challenges of early parenthood. The reader learns from the start that while the pair co-parent a young daughter, Nell is mysteriously absent, creating a compelling tension that drives the plot forward.
Their school years establish a dynamic of intense devotion shadowed by cruelty. Nell, lonely despite her wealthy parents, finds a soulmate in new girl Eve, who has a flaky single mother. Yet, when rumours circulate that Eve might be a "lez", Nell chooses social survival over loyalty, brutally cutting her friend loose. Gray captures this adolescent viciousness with precision, noting "the absolute acid" of preteen girls.
The Discovery of Identity and a Tentative Reunion
The story finds Eve later, at university, where she begins to embrace her sexuality. In scenes both tender and humorous, she Googles "how to look even gayer" and navigates the etiquette of buying a woman a drink in a gay bar. Gray beautifully depicts Eve's discovery of her queer identity, highlighting the vitality of finding one's community. However, Eve guards her heart closely, even amidst the joys of new experiences.
When a subdued and apologetic Nell re-enters her life, Eve welcomes her back with a magnanimity that is itself a form of power. Their reunion reignites old questions: What truly exists between them? Are they just friends, or is there something more? These questions intensify when Eve proposes they have a child together, using sperm donated by a gay male housemate. Despite reservations, Nell agrees, leading them into an unconventional co-parenting arrangement.
Redefining Love and the Terror of Loss
Chosen Family elevates the deep love between women from a subplot to the central narrative, asking if it can form the basis of a new kind of partnership and family. This theme places it alongside works like Sally Rooney's Beautiful World, Where Are You, where female friendship carries a romantic intensity. Yet, running parallel is a profound fear: the terror of losing your best friend if such a profound experiment fails.
This fear is symbolised by the myth of Medusa, which Nell, now an artist, incorporates into her work. The idea of being petrified—both terrified and turned to stone—permeates the novel. Both women conceal their true feelings, aware that the stakes of their unique family are unbearably high.
In this brilliantly sharp and readable book, Gray masterfully explores the overlap of friendship, parenting, love, lust, and self-deception. It exposes the cruelties inflicted on those closest to us and questions whether we can find newer, more honest ways to love. Chosen Family by Madeleine Gray is published by W&N, priced at £20.
