The portrayal of generational trauma and how problems don’t get resolved on their own did it for me. I really enjoyed how flawed all the characters were, they were so obviously the products of their time and circumstances. I couldn’t help but sympathize with all of them. Even Edith, who was absolutely horrible towards William and Grace, feels realistic and her actions are a direct consequence of her upbringing and later life (not that it excuses anything - I HATED how she impacted Grace especially). And William was interesting as well, at times I wanted to punch him in the face to get some sense into him, yet I couldn’t help myself rooting for him even when his actions sucked. I also really appreciated the comments about the influence of the wars on the general public. Overall it was a very touching read and I’m happy I was pushed to finally pick this book up.