Facing the Light : The Secrets and Celebrations of an English Family

An extended family gathers in late August to celebrate the seventy-fifth birthday of its formidable matriarch, Leonora. She is the daugther of the famous Edwardian painter Ethan Walsh, whose paintings are kept at Willow Court, the stately family home in England. At Leonora’s house party will be her daughters, Gwen and Rilla; Rilla’s stepdaughter Beth; and Gwen’s husband and three children with their assorted spouses and lovers. One outsider joins the Sean Everard, a television director who’s making a documentary about the life and work of Ethan Walsh. All families have their dark side, and Leonora’s is no exception. By the time the party’s over, two shocking events from the past have come to light that will change the lives of Leonora and her daughters forever.