INSTRUCTIONS FOR A HEATWAVE by Maggie O'Farrell

The Riordan family members all have secrets, and they are all blockbusters.  It’s 1976 London, and Robert Riordan has disappeared, setting in motion the assembly of his grown children--Monica, Michael Francis, and Aoife (“Ee-fah”).   Their mother Gretta seems reluctant to acknowledge Robert’s absence, and her children have personal issues of their own.  Monica is terrified of the reaction of her stepchildren when she has to have their beloved cat euthanized.  Michael Francis sees his marriage disintegrating as his wife spends more and more time away from home.  Aoife, the most compelling of the siblings, is a bartender in the States and moonlights as a photographer’s assistant, despite a crippling but hidden disability.  She and Monica have not spoken to one another in three years.  Everyone’s embarrassing secrets are revealed, one by one, and they are all somewhat shocking, particularly to the other family members, with the possible exception of a marital infidelity.  I had trouble warming up to these characters, all of whom have, to some degree, created their own messes.  However, despite their flaws and mistakes, I kept reading in the hope that they would all somehow make peace with one another.  This is ultimately a novel about relationships and the realization that the truth will indeed set us free.