The Judds, formerly of London N1, but now scattered, are about to be thrown together again by the shock-waves of their eldest child Juliet's release from prison in New York State. The family is devastated by Juliet's conviction and imprisonment for art theft. The nature of this theft and the reasons for it plague all the protagonists.For Charles, the father, it is a challenge to his sense of rightness and proof of the disintegration of society. For his wife, Daphne, it is a source of resentment and puzzlement. Brother Charlie and sister Sophie are less worried by the morality of the theft than by the dissolution of the certainties of family. For Juliet herself the effects have been physical and deep; she is bitter and wounded at being the scapegoat for what was a victimless crime. And she feels guilty for the devastating effects it has had on her family.Justin Cartwright tells the stories and secrets of the Judds, which are, as in all families, interwoven yet separate. It is a novel of power and humanity, the story of an apparently ordinary English family caught up in uncontrollable events, coming together again, in apprehension as much as celebration, for the return of the prodigal daughter. Read Less