Really enjoyeed this book. What added to my pleasure was listening to it on CD because That highlighted all of the interesting British words I might have 'blipped' over while reading, uch as 'scuppered', and 'havering' and 'cotton on.' Plus the narrator had a wonderful take on the mother's voice - as soon as you heard her voice, you understood all about her. Interesting narrative too - the idea that identity is made up of who we used to be, who we are now, and who others see us to be. A great topic too - the nature of family.
This novel had a very unique writing style. It was written almost entirely in present tense, even for events that occurred 10+ years in the past, and some characters had long soliloquies to move the story along. The last portion of the book is written in the form of email messages between the characters. I applaud the narrator who was very effective in her use of various voices for the many characters (6 children, 2 (or 3?) parents, etc.
