Beth flew the coop as soon as she could, making a life for herself in London. James, her dutiful brother, stayed in Dublin, raising a family not far from their mother, Alice.

Now Alice is dying and Beth has returned to the shabby grandeur of her childhood home to keep vigil by her mother's bedside. Unable to speak, the only way Alice feels she can bridge the gap of understanding between her daughter and herself is to write letters to her seeking reconciliation.

Set during the last days of Alice's life, this is also an extraordinary perceptive novel about childhood and growing old.