Next of Kin — Joanna Trollope

More than twenty years ago, a young American named Carolyn, originally from California, came to the Meredith family farm, marrying Robin Meredith and settling -- never quite comfortably -- into rural English life. Yet after her death, her grieving husband, who has long slept in a separate bedroom, wonders how well he really knew her. But Robin is not the only one left vulnerable; his brother, parents, and Judy, his daughter and Caro's step-daughter, are all thrown by the absence of the woman who had become a central figure in their lives. As they each struggle to cope with Caro's death, Judy's friend Zoe arrives from London and brings with her hope for a new beginning. All recognize that she is a catalyst for change. Zoe finds something compelling in the Meredith's strenuous, earthbound lifestyle -- and in Robin....