The White Family

The White Family is a novel by English author Maggie Gee, published in 2002 in London by Saqi Books. It was shortlisted for both the 2003 Orange Prize and the 2004 International Dublin Literary Award.
Plot introduction.
It is set in Hillesden, a thinly disguised Willesden in north-west London. Alfred White, a park keeper, collapses while on duty, and his family gather round his hospital bed and reflect on issues of love, hatred, sex and death.
Sequel.
Characters in "The White Family" appear in Gee's 2004 novel "The Flood", set in an unspecified future date.