Alison had but one desire in life—to make a perfect home and a happy childhood for her family. She thrilled at the creation of family traditions, staging delightful birthday parties for each of her six children and organizing summer treks to the beach. At the center of all this family activity is her home, a sprawling mansion known as Allersmead, outside of London, with lush lawns, orchards and vegetable gardens. But beneath all this photo-perfect bliss lie all the conflicts and troubles that afflict her family. A remote husband who holes up in his study writing arcane books and can’t remember the ages of his children. A directionless son who falls in and out of trouble and persistently introduces conflict into the family milieu. There are secrets—one in particular that is eventually known to all the children but never discussed, at least to the best of Alison’s knowledge.
Penelope Lively’s latest novel is a masterpiece in its depiction of family. It is provocative and at times disturbing. As the title suggests, the novel moves as if turning the pages of a family photo album, with the camera zooming in and out of various moments in the family history. Sometimes the narrative is told in first person by the children, sometimes we look at the family from a detached position. But ultimately what unfolds is a highly-nuanced story of how families truly function. Despite the fact that her children all move to far away places and rarely return home, Alison sustains the illusion that family life was delightful. One by one, each of the children must face the truth of Allersmead, and its place in their lives. ~ Wendee