The country life - Rachel Cusk

Stella Benson sets off for Hilltop, a tiny Sussex village housing a
family that is somewhat larger than life. Her hopes for the Maddens may
be high, but her station among them, as au pair to their irascible son
Martin - is undeniably low.
What could possibly have driven her to
leave her home, job and life in London for such rural ignominy? Why has
she severed all contact with her parents? Why is she so reluctant to
talk about her past?

The Country Life, Rachel Cusk's third novel,
is a rich and subtle story about embarrassment, awkwardness and being
alone; about families, or the lack of them; and about love in some
peculiar guises.