The story takes place one evening when two couples meet for dinner. The men are brothers. Told from the viewpoint of Paul, a retired teacher who we learn behaved inappropriately in some way, but the behaviour was associated with an unnamed illness, pieces of the story emerge slowly. We learn that the sons of both brothers (teenagers) committed a horrific act and, as yet, the two families have not admitted knowledge of it to each other. The other brother is well-known in politics and is planning to run for a position in high office. As the story unfolds, we gain a broader picture of Paul and Claire (his wife) and their different reactions to their sons’ behaviour. I found the action dragged a bit and was frustrated by the slow unravelling of information. However, I did want to finish it to find out how both couples decided to handle the situation.
