This ordinary family exemplifies comfortable domesticity in the first few chapters. Twins Libby and Alice have different personalities but are very close until best friend Jess squeezes in between them. Libby and Nick suffer the agony of a stillborn son. But the family support is strong.

However, betrayals and dark secrets pull this ordinary family down into a nightmare world. From then on, it’s a must read to see whether these characters will ever recover from the demons of distrust. The first shocking challenge comes from Libby’s husband, Nick. Will they survive this? Lowe explores varying levels of forgiveness as the unwise behaviours and the tangled web of relationships are enticingly spaced out for 500 pages.

All the characters are flawed but likeable as Lowe portrays them evenly with deep understanding, highlighting that none are perfect. Some of their dialogue is a bit cloying, sounding like a discussion in a counsellor’s room, but the unfolding drama makes sure it’s never boring.

The setting in a small rural town where your business is everybody else’s to find out provides some of the humour that often lightens the tension. The most absorbing issue for me was Alice’s search for a suitable partner, cheered on by her anxious mother. Will she choose the slimy online guy, the ‘friend with benefits’ or the widower with two children?

However, all the other themes are important and engrossing and I’m sure will engage your interest to keep reading.

Reviewed by Judith Grace