The tiger in the tiger pit - Janette Turner Hospital

The tyrannical Edward, raging against the indignities of old age, and Elizabeth, his charming and forgiving wife, await the arrival of their children: Jason, a suave analyst who privately seethes with hatred for his father; Victoria, perpetually caught in an adolescence various institutions have been unable to unlock, and Emily, a concern violinist who skips continents rather than face stability, and who is bringing her young son to see his grandfather for the first time. The scene is set for their anniversary reunion.

Here Janette Turner Hospital unravels the skeins of family life - its hostilities, explosive secrets and its constricting yet enduring love. The result is one of the most haunting and assured explorations of the family in contemporary fiction.