This is a large book (501 pages) with a large family of characters. In the beginning it was getting me down because I couldn't keep track of which brother was which, which uncle was which, etc. BUT I stuck with it and way into the book I finally could grasp all the characters. The second half of the book was very good and the entire book was very well written. As I turned the last page I felt like you do when you walk out of a movie so good you just know it will be nominated for an Academy Award.
The Scottish landscape serves as the backdrop for this family saga on the list of 1001 books you must read before you die. Partly narrated in the first person by Prentice McHoan, the college-aged middle son of a relatively well off Scottish family, there are several mysteries unfolding over third-person flashbacks involving several generations. A book that famously starts off with an exploding grandmother has a lot to live up to, but if the reader can navigate through the various timeframes, there are many rewards in the form of interesting characters and their ideas and engaging with the big and small questions about life and death. I enjoyed this one a lot.
