Jacqueline Kent

And as it happens, she's very sort of self-questioning about her own talent and her own work.

And Graham gives her the encouragement that she needs.

But it turns out

that this is not as simple as it looks.

And that is one of the most interesting things about this novel, that she sets up situations not only with Annie and Graham, but with their daughter and the woman next door and his previous wife, Frida.

And you are expecting certain things.

If she were a lesser writer, she would give you what you expect, but she doesn't.

She's much more interested in the characters as people.

They are not representatives of the daughter, the jealous wife, the weird lady next door.

She's much too good for that.

And that's what makes it rather a satisfying novel, I think.

Well, what happens is that Graham very suddenly and without warning dies.

in bed at night, and Annie has to handle not just her sudden grief and the fact that her life is completely upended, but she finds out things about Graham after his death which really influence.

This is one of the aspects I found most interesting about it.

What Annie finds out about Graham after his death

really affects how she remembers him and not what she thinks about him, but it doesn't exactly taint the memories of the time they have together.

It does something a little more subtle than that.

It makes her look at him and try and analyse the person that she thought she knew so well.

And, I mean, I know that this is sort of a bit of a thing, people do this, but the way Sue Miller does it is very gradual because

And I think it's very subtle and very cleverly done, basically.