KATE Linden's life is a bit of a mess. Trying to raise her son with little help from his flighty photographer father is tough enough.

When you factor in her own father, who borders on bonkers on a good day, her uphill struggle to keep ahead of the keen young beans at work and her constant battle with self-doubt stemming from her mother's untimely death in a mysterious car crash, her life often seems impossible to deal with.

But she does deal with it, in her own haphazard way. Help comes in the form of her aunt and uncle, who offer her a haven in their country retreat. But, once there, she finds herself as entangled as ever in the tumultuous lives of her four cousins, most notably Julian, a bit of a cad who never fails to charm.

Kate and her unpredictable kin are beautifully brought to life by Justine Picardie, who writes in a clear, subtly poetic voice about the intrigues and intricacies of family life.

If you love Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman, be prepared to fall in love all over again.

Updated: 08:42 Wednesday, October 06, 2004