The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst

A novel about four different generations of an aristocratic literary family. The plot is actually a lot more interesting than I was anticipating, as it covers a number of different eras in a surprisingly sympathetic way.
There is, however, something very draining about the writing - the energy it takes to read this is disproportionate to the value you get out of it - like eating a stick of celery. The style of writing is definitely the kind critics describe as "hauntingly beautiful", which means you can skip pages at a time without missing anything of interest. Whilst this is useful if you want to daydream without  accidentally finding yourself staring at a terrifyingly tattooed woman in inconceivably tight white  leggings on the Bethnal Green bound tube, it leaves one feeling very dissatisfied.
So although this, sadly, is a must read for those who have set themselves a personal challenge to read the entire Booker longlist, there is little other incentive to plough through the whole 500-odd pages.