Imagine Hugh Grant wearing those big black spectacles that he wore in the film, The Gentlemen , then make him as angry and moody as Gordon Ramsey and as terminally selfish as Boris Johnson, and you might start to get a feel for the ageing artist Ray. Ray is one of the London Arts crowd and, although he hasn't actually done much in way of art over the last few years, he considers himself to be a notable artist and he rules his family through his manipulative behaviour. His wife, Lucia, is also an artist (think Helena Bonham-Carter), who is actually quite successful in her own right, but she and her three adult children have been conditioned by Ray to see themselves as lesser beings, barely worthy of his attention. His daughter Leah is completely absorbed in Ray's constant needs and rages against her two siblings for never doing enough to help daddy. As you read through the book, there will be plenty of times where the whole family dynamic will infuriate you, but never too the...