This book is about the lives and fractious relationships of two upper east side Manhattan families. The fathers and sons, with all their disappointments and unsaid admirations, create a rich and ambitious storyline. The patriarch at the centre of this wors is a writer of Salinger-like proportions, whose affair and subsequent child are te main catalyst for these failing relationships. Complex relationships, coupled with David Gilbert's well-crafted writing style, make the book a compelling read. He is not overly sentimental in his writing, which adds to feeling of the distance between characters.

- Em