This book reminded me of a Rosamunde Pilcher story--sweeping British family saga with secrets and drama. There's a large cast of characters, but it's not difficult to keep them straight and get enthralled with their stories and the unfolding of the tale.

Raw. Real. Ringing true.
About family and the burden of secrets, silence and goodwill.

The Winters are loving family. Or not. Yes, they are good people - Gran Martha, her husband David, three adult children - reserved, kind Bill, controversial Daisy and clumsy historian Florence and 2 granddaughters - aspiring writter Lucy and Cat, living in Paris (daughter of Daisy and mother of Luke). And the people around them, namely Joe, chef in the local restaurant.
There are scars and hurts, both past and present - and they can't honestly and openly talk to each other about them. Is is misguised love? Secrecy? Fear? Shame? All of these issues or something completely else?
So they, all of them, are living as best as they can with the cards they have. And they are vulnerable because of their burdens (even Daisy, the "evil" one). But the past is never behind us. And the family is quietly disbanding.
And one day Martha, the leader of the clan, decides to share the secret (or part of it). And all is now in the open.

Do you really love your loved ones if you can't open to them? And how can you be vulnerable with them, if you yourself are hurting so much? If you want to save them from the shame and pain? If you don't want them to know what can happen? But what if your love is not really protecting them?

This is the story of honesty and vulnerability. It is "preaching" the cause well - how the skeletons in the closets are hurting the people quietly and they may not even know that they are bleeding. And so they close up. And there are people around who love them and can't get closer. And human birds of prey on the hunt to find the vulnerable ones. And the kind ones, who can heal, too.

THIS IS SO GOOD! Lengthy, true. But there is no sentence unnecessary.
Raw, realistic, true. READ THIS.