This book tells the story of Violet, a young woman whose husband has died. She lives with her parents-in-law, who she always refers to as mum and dad.

The first part of the book is told by Violet herself, as she mourns her husband, goes to work in a local clothes shop, and then becomes involved with another man. The second part is told by Harvey, Violet's father-in-law, who writes a journal to his dead son about his life from his university days up until Jonathan's death. Finally, we turn back to Violet as she finds out some home truths about her husband and her marriage.

The first section was quite compelling and I enjoyed it, but I felt Harvey's section was a little long-winded and I found it a bit disappointing after the promise of the first part, and I'm afraid the ending was very abrupt and didn't really seem to finalise the story satisfactorily. I'd say this is a fair read, keeps the reader interested to an extent, but ultimately is a bit of a letdown. ( )