This is a very clever, very funny and at times very dark novel, with a looping structure. It starts in the middle, in 1996, when the narrator Rosemary, is 22 years old, and meandering her way through an indeterminate University degree. Her family is clearly very messed up, and the reader learns the reasons for this when the narrative loops back to the beginning of the family's story. This brings an unexpected plot development. Or two. We then move back to the present, and then into the past again, with new revelations each time. The structure works very well in Fowler's hands, and the characters are interesting and nuanced. Essentially, what we have here is a biting satire on American family life in the 1970s and the 1990s, which reminded me of A.M. Homes's May We Be Forgiven. I can't say too much about the nature of the story without giving away spoilers, but if you enjoy Barbara Kingsolver, Ruth Ozeki or A.M. Homes, you'll enjoy this.