A sudden departure. A story decades in the making. The chaotic but happy equilibrium of the Nightingale family is thrown into disarray when Cecily—whose children can’t remember her ever being remotely spontaneous—disappears to a Greek island with no warning or explanation. Her reasons for doing something so out of character are a total mystery to her three daughters, high-powered executive Felicity, unfulfilled GP Julia and organised mother-of-five Lily. What connection could she possibly have with Kefalonia? But Cecily has gone to continue a story she thought ended decades ago—one that could have a huge impact on her family. And when she returns, she’ll have to tell them the truth. Will Cecily be able to hold her family together once she reveals her big secret? And might she discover that she’s not the only one with a story to tell?
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This book was easy to get through and at times offered some great glimpses into all the various characters lives, which I did enjoy. My favorite part by far was the one sharing Cecily's story, and I'm so glad that we weren't torn away by switching POV during it because allowing it to be told consecutively in it's entirety really did it the justice it deserved, and was a good stylistic choice. However, while maybe it served to show the "realistic" challenges in familial relationships, it was pretty unpleasant reading about how unkind and unsympathetic (even unfeeling) several of the characters were, and some were also disappointingly one dimensional. I struggle to understand why the book so strongly started with introducing three sisters and their lives, only to end up focusing almost exclusively on their mother, thereby making the book less cohesive and a little flat on the ending.
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