First published 1998
Martha receives word that her father has died suddenly at his remote Welsh cottage. She travels from London to settle his affairs, expecting a straightforward task of sorting through possessions and paperwork. Instead she discovers that her father had been living a double life she never suspected. Letters, photographs, and personal documents reveal relationships and choices that contradict everything she thought she knew about him. As Martha pieces together these revelations, she must also deal with her own complicated feelings about their distant relationship. Her siblings arrive with their own agendas and interpretations of their father's legacy. The cottage itself seems to hold secrets in every room. Martha finds herself questioning not just her father's true nature but her own assumptions about family, loyalty, and forgiveness. The process of uncovering the truth forces her to examine what she really wants from the relationships in her own life.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: London, Wales
Period: 20th-century
159 pages · Paperback · Akadine Pr