To paraphrase Tolstoy, every unhappy family is different, but they’re also the same. In this darkly affectionate comic novel, the adult children bicker among themselves and unite to bitch about their parents; alternately judge and conspire with each other’s spouses and children and obsessively analyse (or stubbornly ignore) significant incidents from the past. Bob and Nance have recently moved, post-retirement, from their North Sydney home to a beachfront Gold Coast penthouse, where the family have somewhat unwillingly gathered for Christmas. Artist Elizabeth, who is finally finding professional success at 49, has a rocky marriage to a resentful husband and three children by different fathers.

Her brother, the affable Robbo, can’t stand her ‘psychobabble’, and wishes everyone would just get along. And heroin addict Nick, the black sheep of the family, is in jail. Meanwhile, uptight Nance and oafish former business bigwig Bob have their own bitter-sweet story that helps to explain how the family’s patchwork history unfolded. Over a few eventful days, the Barton clan discover some home truths about themselves – and the ties that bind them. Cleverly constructed, spiked with spot-on satire, warm and funny; this is smart, entertaining fiction with plenty of moments that will resonate with readers.