Sebastian and Olivia have met only once, by chance, at a party, without knowing their relationship to one another. Olivia, adopted at birth by two north London psychoanalysts, has had a life of love and privilege. Her twin Sebastian, raised in very different circumstances, has spent his early adulthood between hospitals and halfway houses, trying to navigate the destructive inner voices that are the legacy of his childhood. When the siblings are brought together for a second time by their birth mother, in a misguided attempt at transparency that leaves Sebastian spiralling, a chain of events is set in motion that asks questions of every member of the extended family and their friends. A profound exploration of nature and nurture, intergenerational trauma and healing, and what a 'happy family' might possibly look like, this highly anticipated new novel from Edward St Aubyn is exceptional in its compassion and insight into its characters' inner lives.
