This is the sort-of sequel to Gilead. It's certainly a standalone novel in its own right, but reading Gilead first will make it richer. Also, then you'll have had the joy of reading the excellent Gilead, so that's good!

A friend was saying something about how he didn't like literary fiction, but preferred genres such as mystery or science fiction that were entertaining. I love those genres, too, but I had just read this book, and it gripped me every bit as much — or more — than any thriller. I was on tenterhooks as to whether Jack was going to hold it together. I gasped when Glory's father commented on the TV news. The action all takes place in one house, with a dying father, his adult daughter and son, over the course of a summer. A garden is tidied. A car is fixed up. Hearts break.