Though the Aubreys’ lives have long been clouded by their father’s genius for instability, surely his new editorial appointment in London will turn things around. Seen through the merciless, loving eyes of young Rose, one of four siblings, Rebecca West’s 1957 novel is a vital, witty, and devastating family portrait -- a brilliant re-imagining of her own volatile childhood. Remarkable for its evocation of the Edwardian age, The Fountain Overflows is every bit as penetrating as West’s great work of nonfiction Black Lamb and Grey Falcon and has a dash of the supernatural thrown in for good measure.