Book of the Month–June 2016
The Past by Tessa Hadley
A group of siblings reunites for a vacation at Kington, the rundown country rectory that belonged to their grandfather. Sisters Fran, Alice and Harriet and brother Roland have inherited the property but none of them are inclined to take on the expense of the house’s upkeep and this final trip will give them a chance to discuss what to do with it.
The siblings arrive with their families and lots of baggage. Brother Roland brings his glamorous third wife–a woman his sisters have never met. His daughter from a prior relationship also comes. Fran and her young children are present but not her husband which raises concern among the other siblings. Alice, a flighty impoverished actor, brings her ex-boyfriend’s 20 year old son, who is less than enthusiastic to be there.
Over the course of a three week vacation, class and generational differences become pronounced as the past resurfaces.
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