The Clothes on their Backs, by Linda Grant

Linda Grant wrote the recent non-fiction book called “The Thoughtful Dresser,” essays on clothes and their meanings to us, which I enjoyed. Her 2008 novel, shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, also delves into the meaning of fashion and dress, but primarily concerns the relationships of a young, recently widowed woman, Vivien Kovacs, withHungarian refugee parents, who try to shelter her, and with her newly discovered, and infamous, uncle, who is a pimp, slum lord and a convicted criminal. Although well-written, I found the book slow going and not as compelling as I would have thought from its nomination and from reading her essays. 297 pp.