“The Homemade God” ~ by Rachel Joyce

Four siblings have lived their entire lives in the shadow of Vic, their famous artist father. The eldest, Netta, strives to be the most like Vic in personality – forthright and at time domineering. Susan is a stay-at-home wife. Gustav believes he was an artist, but that art led to his mental breakdown. The youngest, Iris, tries to make herself as small and unobtrusive as possible.

After their mother’s death while they were young, all four have spent their lives desperate to be noticed by Vic. Although competing for his attention and approval, even into adulthood, the siblings band together after Vic’s sudden announcement that he is remarrying a much-younger woman. Who is she? Is she after Vic’s money? Does she want to use his fame to advance her own career? Perhaps most importantly, will she monopolise the approval they all so desperately crave?

When Vic later reveals that the wedding has already taken place – summoning his children to his holiday home in Italy to celebrate with him – they are horrified to have been excluded and close ranks against him. While still trying to regain their equilibrium, another bombshell arrives: Vic has been found dead at the villa and – he having left no will – his new wife is entitled much of his estate. Vic’s four children travel to Italy, trying to come to terms with his unexpected death, while wondering about his elusive new wife and what part she might have played in the tragedy.

The story follows the siblings as they each come to recognise that the many beliefs they hold – about themselves, their family and each other – are little more than fiction, causing them to wonder if you can ever truly know someone. Italy has a strange effect on the four, freeing them in different ways as their father’s death gradually becomes more real. The wider cast of characters such as Vic’s wife, her cousin, and the siblings’ various partners serve only to exacerbate the changes the four experience, leaving the reader to wonder: Vic’s children may finally be escaping his shadow, but how they will cope in the light?

This review was first published in August 2026 by The Local Answer.