This novel is a shortlist nominee for the Man Booker Prize which will be announced in ten days. This is the story of multiple generations of the same family, the Whitshanks. Most of the action centers in and around the beautiful Baltimore home built by the patriarch, "Junior" Whitshank. The family is a close one but there are disputes, disappointments, and secrets that emerge that make the family somewhat less than happy. There is an angry daughter, a ne'er-do-well son, a too perfect daughter-in-law, a son who feels betrayed, and the others who just wish things would stay as they always were. It is Abby, wife of Junior's son, Red, who is the glue that holds the family together and makes it work. I found myself caring about these people and getting angry when some of them behaved badly. However, I found the ending to be a disappointment. It's not that I expected some glowing happy resolution to it all, but it felt to me as if it just fizzled out. In spite of that, I would recommend it.
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