Veronica - once an attention-deprived middle child among 12 siblings, and now an unfulfilled wife and mother - has come to London to claim the body of her beloved yet estranged brother Liam, who drowned himself at sea. As the nine surviving members of the Hegarty clan converge in Dublin for Liam's wake, Veronica wants to protect the past - and the secret of what transpired in her grandmother's house during the winter of 1968. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2007 Man Booker Prize. 2007.