by Pat Barker
First published 1998
As a dying World War I veteran relives his harrowing past, his grandson Nick must confront the sinister secrets etched into his own family's home. When Nick's pregnant wife Fran persuades their children to redecorate, they uncover a disturbing portrait that casts a shadow over the entire household. Torn between the ghosts of his grandfather's trauma and the growing discord in his own life, Nick must find a way to unite his fractured family before the weight of the past consumes them all.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: England, Newcastle
Period: World War I
277 pages · Hardcover · Viking
Content warnings: mental-illness