I was thrilled to see Claire Fuller shortlisted for the Women’s Prize this year. And I was very excited when this was finally released in the US and I could start reading! It is well written, vivid, and has an interesting plot: When their mother dies, 51 year old twins Julius and Jeanie find that their lives are not as they seemed. Despite believing they’d been living in their cottage rent-free since children, they learned that their mother had massive debts they’d known nothing about. As the story goes on, the truth untangles itself in heartbreaking ways.

It took me a while to sink into this story and I’m not sure why. I probably only finished it because I want to read all of the books shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, but I’m really glad that I pushed through. I felt much more compelled to pick it up each evening as I got further along in the story. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.