*The Stranger’s Child*, by Alan Hollinghurst

Although the initial reviews were only somewhat positive, I’ve been noticing how many times it has popped up on the year’s end “best of” lists.  And so I bought it.  It is indeed brilliant, and it is not out of line to compare it to top novels by Thackeray or Forster.  I used to think of Hollinghurst as “superb writer but not so much along my lines of interest,” but this one has won me over.