THE tale of two brothers - solid, dependable Arthur; spoilt, unreliable Jake - and the effect their sibling rivalry has on their family.

The novel is set in a small town Northern Canada, but even in this rural backwater the community is not safe from the horrors of war.

Flipping backwards and forwards from the mid-1930s to the 1950s, the novel gives a profound but forgiving insight into humankind with all its faults.

Recommended by the Richard & Judy Book Club, it is hard to put down.