What Took You So Long? : Daisy May Cooper's funny and thrilling debut novel for Christmas 2026

Published on 5 November 2026 by Simon & Schuster Ltd (Gallery) in the United Kingdom.

Hardback | 352 pages
242 x 162 x 31mm | 516g

Bad exes. Buried secrets. The hilarious and gripping first novel by Daisy May Cooper.

Mary's husband unexpectedly leaves her after forty-five years. At the same time, Emma finally finds the courage to do a runner from hers. For the first time in years, mother and daughter find themselves living under one roof in the Cornish fishing village of Polperro, along with eight-year-old Ivy (and her beloved stuffed giraffe, Tw*t). They have returned to Mary's childhood home after the recent death of her mother. But as they navigate their new lives and attempt to reconnect with one another, long-forgotten family truths begin to surface.

Going home was never part of the plan; neither was digging up the past.

Warm and wickedly funny, Daisy May Cooper brings her trademark dark humour to her twisty and touching debut novel.