The Bradshaw Variations by Rachel Cusk

This was another choice from the top 2011 British book list.  Excellently written but I had some major problems with this book.

The novel mostly follows Thomas and Toni, who are unhappily married - well, maybe not unhappy, but not happy.  He decides to stay home with their daughter when Toni gets a new opportunity at work.  Thomas' brother is an energetic entrepreneur whose wife is a struggling artist.  Cusk does a fabulous job describing each of these characters (as well as their parents, children, and even their houseguests and tenants) and their dissatisfaction with their lives.  The writing was superb, with many characters each given a unique voice and a unique burden to carry.  But she makes them so dissatisfied and so disinterested in improving their situations that I didn't get invested in any of them.

Cusk also writes this book as a characters study of middle-class people, rather than as a story. There's little to no plot and fairly little change in the characters' outlooks.  I kept waiting for something to happen.  Their lack of interest in interacting with each other was pervasive even in light of a few major events towards the end of the book.  Not only was this book not uplifting, it was dissatisfying.  I'd try Cusk again, but hope for more next time.