Mason's talent for the use of detail makes this novel a masterpiece of description. The third person narrative allows her an intimate knowledge of Christie's mental existence as well as the liberty to exert tremendous energy in rendering understandable her protagonists' physical reactions to her constantly evolving world. The author misses no opportunity to familiarize the reader with every aspect of the farm life which Christie inhabits. Detail regarding the quintuplets helps mirror Christie's own method of identifying each. She names and knows the infants when no one else can even distinguish between them. Mason inculcates each of her characters with a distinctive personality allowing the reader to question the stereotypical pigeon-holing of stock farm characters. Her characterizations are shaped with unwavering attention over many pages; the reader knows each of the main players, and the ways in which they relate to Christie Wheeler, well by the novel's...