Todd Alexander writes in a light and confident way about a regular family and the secrets they hold. He writes about accepting one's parents as people with flaws rather than clinging to the childhood ideal that they can do no wrong.
Maggie Apperton's family appears functional enough. She has two grown-up children who she has fairly regular contact with and her husband Marcus has built up a successful business. When Marcus dies unexpectedly, Maggie attempts to forge a stronger bond with her children, who, she begins to realise, she barely knows.
'Pictures of Us' is an intriguing exploration of the darker side of family life, what happens when long-guarded secrets begin to surface, the bond between parents and children, and how love and trust are sometimes stretched to the limit.
