What a WASPy, navel-gazing book ... but in a good way. I heard Shipstead compared to Edith Wharton by many reviewers and while there are undeniable parallels, the book I'd really connect this with is [b:Cold Comfort Farm|92780|Cold Comfort Farm|Stella Gibbons|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1416161594l/92780._SY75_.jpg|847348]. She takes you, an oustsider, on a tour of the Van Meter family mostly through the aging not-quite-patriarch, Winn's eyes, which has an undercurrent of kindness in, despite the unflinching portrait of his shallowness and superficiality. It's this kindness and humour that prevents the book from devolving into just a vehicle for social satire, which while completely true would hardly be original.