This exquisite novel is about family, the tug of the past and the translucence of the present. It is told through various points of view: Fintan, a middle-aged lawyer; his sister, Martina, who has a terrible secret; Fintan’s wife, Colette, and his son, Niall. Not much happens: Fintan becomes enamored of old photographs, he overeats and is chastised for it, he and Martina reconnect with a long-lost cousin. But Madden’s subtle, sure-handed prose weaves past and present together in a way that is moving and powerful.
