I enjoy Caroline Bond's writing so I had high hopes for this latest novel. Disappointingly, I was not so enamoured to start with as I didn't warm to any of the characters and the emotional impact was dull, as if it needed a good watering.
HOWEVER, I am happy to say that as I settled into the book, I became more involved and interested in the motivations and decisions of the characters.
Jonathan Coulter has died of Motor Neurone Disease and we meet his partner, his three children, the carer and his ex-wife in what appears to be a family based drama about inheritance.
This might be why the novel starts in a dusty and dry way, as we are led to believe that Liv, Noah and Chloe are simply going to argue about who is entitled to what. And yes, there is a fair amount of rivalry, greed and squabbling.
What makes this novel interesting though is the individual lives behind the every day facades, so as we get to understand each sibling, we become more intrigued by their thought processes, what has gone before, and what might be about to happen.
Lisa, the carer, is the only one where a straightforward instruction has been left in the will, for her to receive £5,000. This provides an element of mystery as the rest of the estate is left for the 'children' to decide how best to divide it.
There is hurt and emotional pain and sadness, there is grief and fear and worry. And that is before you even factor in the aloof ex wife Eloise and the strangely passive much younger woman Megan, who lived with Jonathan until he died and who is held mostly responsible for breaking up Eloise's marriage to Jonathan.
HOWEVER, I am happy to say that as I settled into the book, I became more involved and interested in the motivations and decisions of the characters.
Jonathan Coulter has died of Motor Neurone Disease and we meet his partner, his three children, the carer and his ex-wife in what appears to be a family based drama about inheritance.
This might be why the novel starts in a dusty and dry way, as we are led to believe that Liv, Noah and Chloe are simply going to argue about who is entitled to what. And yes, there is a fair amount of rivalry, greed and squabbling.
What makes this novel interesting though is the individual lives behind the every day facades, so as we get to understand each sibling, we become more intrigued by their thought processes, what has gone before, and what might be about to happen.
Lisa, the carer, is the only one where a straightforward instruction has been left in the will, for her to receive £5,000. This provides an element of mystery as the rest of the estate is left for the 'children' to decide how best to divide it.
There is hurt and emotional pain and sadness, there is grief and fear and worry. And that is before you even factor in the aloof ex wife Eloise and the strangely passive much younger woman Megan, who lived with Jonathan until he died and who is held mostly responsible for breaking up Eloise's marriage to Jonathan.