The debut novel, The Sister (click title to request), by BBC documentary filmmaker Poppy Adams had me enthralled. Surprisingly so, since there is not a whole lot of action in the book.

The premise is: elderly Ginny, who has lived alone in the family manor since she was in her 20s, is surprised when her long-estranged slightly younger sister, Vivian, wants to come home to live for the first time since she was 17. Ginny wonders what it is that Vivi wants. The novel goes into beautiful detail about the crumbling old house and the countryside, creating an atmosphere at times peaceful and idyllic and at other times tense and menacing.

The family vocation is lepidoptery, the study of moths, and there is a lot of information imparted on the subject, which is vital to the understanding of the characters and for the unfolding of the plot. It doesn’t get boring or predictable, although you may guess the outcome about halfway through.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and read most of it in a single evening. I couldn’t believe how compelled I was to read it, but there it is: Poppy Adams is a talented woman and I can’t wait to read more from her.