The constant theme running through this collection of short stories, the first collection by A.S. Byatt, is that of repetition, taking the form of family patter... » 

The constant theme running through this collection of short stories, the first collection by A.S. Byatt, is that of repetition, taking the form of family patterns recurring across generations, the return of the past in the form of ghosts and the disruptive force of family stories. «