Jane has grown up with no one to love or to love her, which has made her have difficulties relating to others even though she is lonely. Her parents died when she was very young, leaving her to an unloving aunt, who put her in convent school when she was five. When she left school, her aunt only wanted her to take care of her in her old age. But Jane meets James, a young farmer, and hopes to make her own family.
Years later, Jane has died and her twin daughters, Sarah and Catherine, each have a secret that involves the other. They live with their bereft father on the farm, Sarah doing most of the work because Catherine is ill.
This is a beautifully written novel about people’s essential loneliness and unknowability. Madden is not a revealing writer. Rather, she offers glimpses into her character’s minds. This is a novel to ponder.
What? Me Read? 