The Unreasoning Heart

"First published in 1946, this prize winning novel examines, with perception and empathy, the complex relationship within a close-knit Montreal family in the 1930s: Fran, a handsome, indomitable woman in her fifties; her mildly alcoholic brother Teddy and his precocious young daughter; Fran's two sons, Conrad, the ugly duckling, and David, the spoiled darling, and David's coldly exquisite wife Fay. When Abbey, the orphaned daughter of Fran's childhood friend, is welcomed into the circle, the fragile facade concealing long-buried fears and resentments is broken forever.