Adam Webb is stuck in a dreary meeting at a dull job when he gets an email out of the blue to inform him his Great Uncle, who he didn’t even know about, has passed away and bequeathed him a run down farmhouse and castle in Tuscany. Upon visiting his inheritance, Adam and his boyfriend Theo decide to spend the summer renovating the property. Shortly before they depart, Theo’s ex-wife springs the news that she’s off to work in Atlanta, so Theo will have to take care of their three children – two teenagers and an 8 year old – for 6 weeks. The older children are hostile to their dad’s new relationship, which is going to make for a very tricky summer.
Matt Cain handles tricky subjects with empathy and sensitivity, and while the novel has some dark themes, they’re well balanced and the whole novel feels like a hug. While the children are indeed bratty at the start, Cain doesn’t just leave them as one-dimensional antagonists. We begin to understand their behaviour, and why they’re acting as they do, and the characters are written without judgement.
While the farmhouse is being renovated, the castle is also the subject of an archaeological dig by local experts, and I loved the parallels between the team uncovering the old castle’s secrets, and Adam discovering old family secrets of his own, leading to a greater understanding of the relationships in his life.
The novel also cleverly parallels the repair of the old farmhouse with the repair of the relationships between Adam and Theo’s children, and his relationship with his parents and the Aunt that raised him.
It’s a story of hope, and family, and acceptance – acceptance of yourself as much as of those around you, and it’s such a wonderful read. Family comes in all forms, from the blood bonds to the family you build around yourself, and where you seek your strength from, and you’re left with a feeling of joy and comfort.
It’s a great holiday read – a book to either take with you on a holiday, or to read and mentally transport yourself to the lush Tuscan countryside. The descriptions are so vivid, the writing transports you into the setting.
The Castle of Stories is the first release from Pansy Books, an independent publisher sharing queer stories – and I’m looking forward to more of their publications.
Many thanks to the publisher, the author and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to read this incredible uplifting novel and be part of the book tour to celebrate this fabulous publication.
BLURB
Acclaimed author and broadcaster Matt Cain returns on 4 June with The Castle of Stories, a touching and uplifting new novel set against the idyllic beauty of the Tuscan countryside.
When 45-year-old Adam unexpectedly inherits a crumbling farmhouse and castle in Tuscany from a great uncle he never knew existed, he makes a bold decision. Leaving behind his job and life in Manchester, he sets out to renovate the property and begin again. By his side is his boyfriend of two years, Theo – newly divorced and only recently ‘out’.
When Theo’s ex-wife can no longer take the children for the summer, they arrive in Italy too. But as temperatures soar, so do tensions. The children are wary of Adam, unimpressed by the rural idyll and unsettled by their new surroundings. Meanwhile, as Adam begins restoring the castle and sifting through his late uncle’s possessions, he uncovers long-buried family secrets that threaten to reshape everything he thought he knew about his past.
Tender, evocative and filled with warmth, The Castle of Stories explores what it means to create a modern family in all its forms. As Adam confronts the shadows of his own history, he must decide whether he can let go of old wounds and open himself up to a future defined by connection, courage and queer joy.
A stunning love story written for readers from all walks of life, The Castle of Stories is a life-affirming celebration of reinvention, resilience and the transformative power of love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Cain is a writer, broadcaster and leading commentator on LGBTQ+ issues. He was Channel 4’s first Culture Editor, Editor-In-Chief of Attitude magazine, has written for all the national newspapers, and has appeared on BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, The Today Programme and Lorraine. He’s a patron of LGBT+ History Month, has received an honorary doctorate from Bolton University, addressed the Cambridge Union, and in 2025 was awarded an MBE for services to LGBTQ+ culture.
Matt’s bestselling novels include The Madonna Of Bolton, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle and One Love. His latest, The Castle of Stories, is set in the Italian property that has become his second home. Born in Bury and brought up in Bolton, Matt’s main home is in London with his husband Harry and their dog, Teddy.
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Pansy is an independent LGBTQ+ publisher founded by novelist Matt Cain and Harry Glasstone, who’s spent more than twenty years working with small and growing businesses. The name was inspired by a homophobic slur, reclaiming the term as an act of empowerment. As this suggests, the ethos behind Pansy is political and disruptive, as well as being playful and fun.
The publisher will launch with the release of The Castle of Stories in June 2026, a few weeks after the book is released by Matt’s long-term traditional publisher in the US. Following this, Pansy will open up to other queer authors of fiction – avoiding niche or literary titles to target readers with more mainstream tastes. In doing so, it will respond to a major need in the publishing industry, which has often neglected or under-resourced queer-themed books classed as ‘commercial’, underestimating their potential readership and clipping the wings of LGBTQ+ authors. Pansy is here to overturn that belief and to put queer authors first.
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