Pineapple Street, by Jenny Jackson

Wealthy New York real estate tycoons, the patrician Stockport family live on the fruit streets of Brooklyn – Orange, Cranberry and Pineapple. The old family mansion on Pineapple is now occupied by son Cord and his outsider wife, Sasha. Elder daughter Darley also married out – to Korean finance whiz Malcolm, while much younger daughter Georgiana is single. All three children have an enormous capacity for love, but remain in thrall to the Family – to the cost of their relationships. Sasha is the biggest victim of this family dynamic. She married Cord for love, despite the red flags. and her reward is to be dubbed the Golddigger by his sisters. Can she break free and assert herself without losing her marriage? This novel starts off well and looks promising for a while, but ultimately doesn’t really go anywhere. Jenny Jackson ties herself in knots trying to paint everyone as fully rounded and redeemable characters despite their often despicable behaviour. It doesn’t quite work.