How To Lose The Lottery by Jay McKenzie

 

Edie and Ron have won millions on the lottery, changing their lives forever. While Ron is embracing his new lifestyle, Edie is struggling to come to terms with the change in circumstances. Something in her past is holding her back from enjoying her newfound wealth.

In How To Lose The Lottery, author Jay McKenzie has combined three things that I love seeing in novels: a positive change in circumstances, older protagonists, and a north-east setting. When we first meet Edie and her family, the lottery win is behind them, and they are settled in their new home on an exclusive housing estate. Both husband Ron and son Colin are making the most of their newfound fortune. Edie, however, is still living as if nothing has changed in her life.

Wealth is not something Edie has ever dreamt about. As chapters alternate between the present and the past, we learn about Edie's troubled childhood, the struggles to make ends meet throughout her married life, and the love she has for her twin sons. 

Present-day Edie is lonely. Having relocated from her little terraced house, she has lost contact with the friends she had. Not being able to drive makes things even more problematic. But underneath everything is an overwhelming sadness; having raised twin sons, only one is ever mentioned and the reader is left wondering what happened.

As we follow Edie through all the stages of her life, we meet a host of engaging characters. We're also embroiled in a couple of mysteries. Firstly, what happened to her other son? Secondly, why is husband Ron acting so secretively? My heart constantly went out to Edie; her life had been a difficult one, I desperately wanted her to find some happiness. The book just goes to show that while money can buy nice things, it can't bring about contentment.

How To Lose The Lottery by Jay McKenzie will be published on 26th March 2026 in hardback, ebook and audio format. My thanks to NetGalley and HarperFiction for a review copy.

Author Details

Jay McKenzie grew up in the North East surrounded by storytellers and Catherine Cookson novels, before attending Bretton Hall College of the Arts in the beautiful Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Since graduating ( a long time ago! Her degree is old enough to have a degree!) she has worked as a holiday rep, a performing arts teacher, a life model and a street theatre performer in Greece, Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and Australia.

Her short stories and flash fiction appear  in adda, Bath Flash, Maudlin House, Fictive Dream, The Hooghly Review, Fahmidan Journal, Roi Faineant and others. She has won prizes such as the Exeter Story Prize, the Fish Short Story Prize, The Danahy Prize for Fiction, Quiet Man Dave and others, and shortlisted for the Edinburgh Story Award, Exeter Novel Prize, The Alpine Fellowship, Oxford Flash Fiction Prize, Bath Short Story Award, Bridport Prize and the Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

She has a penchant for knitwear and lives with her husband, daughter and too many cardigans. She has a dog called Duck.