Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay

I picked this donated paperback up as a "travel book" (small, light, and not a big deal if it falls into the lake or gets left behind in the hotel) and took it to a recent conference. An "Oprah Book Club" choice, it has the requisite domestic angst that seems to be a constant in her selections. When James loses his job, he and Ellen and their two young children move back to their hometown of Holly's Field WI, and in with his truly troubling German-speaking family. The father is contemptuous of his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. He favored the deceased son Mitch. The mother dotes on "Jimmy" and hates everyone else. There's a maiden lady aunt. And secrets. Lots of secrets. About the only good thing about the book is that ultimately Ellen does manage to escape with the children. Vinegar indeed. 240 pp.