And if they didn't kill themselves...

Miranda's parents live in a dilapidated house in the French countryside. Her father is a retired philosophy professor. My mother likes to turn the conversation to the war, even though she was born after it. They have been married for fifty years and Miranda plays the role of interpreter during their visits, communicating the wishes or complaints of one parent to the other. A gripping, brilliantly observed story about an extraordinarily eccentric family and sibling rivalry, generational differences and long-buried secrets. The extraordinary novel debut of Julian Barnes' niece.