Estranged brother and sister Angela and Richard have not gotten their families together for more than a decade, not from any particular acrimony but rather a case of apathy. What ultimately brings them together is the death of their mother, after which Richard - his mother's darling son, the doctor - proposes Angela - the dutiful daughter whose care of her mother went unappreciated - and her family spend a summer vacation with him and his family, at a remote house in Wales. The two siblings, as well as their children (a spoiled brat step-daughter, in Richard's case; three children ranging in age from around eight to sixteen in Angela's) could hardly be more different.

The novel is about the difficulty of forced camaraderie and two families on the edge of disaster choosing priorities as events unfold. At times the book's very funny, at other times quite sad. Overall, I'd definitely recommend the book as great general literary fiction, really rewarding, smart "summer reading" that won't rot your brain.