We first meet the wayward Gilberts (“I think perhaps ‘infamous’ is a little strong,” Maximus concedes) in a comparatively hopeful moment between the wars. Although their father is dead, their mother vague and their Aunt Beatrice already a tyrannical presence, at least some of the five Gilbert siblings still carry the promise of youth. Early on, we learn that the middle sister, Annabel, suffers from a mysterious malady whose cure seems at least as bad as the illness itself. But then, we are quickly assured that no one will come to a very good end.