Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

At fifty-seven, Julia Ames finds herself with an improbably lovely life. She has a husband she loves, two happy children and a contented existence in the suburbs.

She's unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, a soon-to-be empty nest, and a seductive resurgence of the past - all of which threaten to derail Julia's hard-earned peace.

Wise, witty and deeply moving, this brilliantly observed domestic drama asks what it takes to make - and not to break - a family.

• Paperback
• 512 pages