I wouldn't define this book "gripping"; it's actually quite slow. The style is easy and pleasant to read and for this reason I gave it 3 stars. It tells the story of a family, their issues (domestic violence - there are no heavy descriptions though) and how those issues affected their lives in different ways. There are some interesting ideas and the main character, Alice, evolves throughout the book, however the ending seemed to me a bit too easy and idillic. I preferred other books by the same author.