Purchase the book from Amazon.

The book is written in the first person present day as Cat, and in the past from the perspective as Emily. But the plot follows not only the main character, but also Emily's husband, parents and twin sister, Caroline. Emily's family did not seem particularly functional, yet despite this she has a sense of normality. The first part of the book deals with Emily, now Cat, starting her new life. And even though it includes seemingly trivial events such as buying furniture from Ikea, venturing into the filthy shared bathroom, or looking for a job, I felt I really wanted to know what was happening to her. Before she left, Emily had always had a strained relationship with her sister, Caroline. Caroline seemed to get bad press and be blamed for all that was wrong in the family. Yet it was Caroline's upbringing and her treatment at home that caused her behaviour and despite her being a pretty nasty character, it was impossible not to have some sympathy for her and lay the blame at the door of the parents. The book is very cleverly written, directing the reader in the direction the author wants them to go so that when all is revealed at the end, it all comes as a slight surprise. I felt that the story didn't really go anywhere, but strangely that was part of the appeal. It was a book that dealt with people and emotions rather than major events. Although not my usual book, I found this to be a great read from an exciting new author who I will look out for in the future. Very enjoyable, indeed.