It's a classic tale: families dissolving into chaos as the father's will is read out.
Sibling rivalries are revived, old hurts unearthed, and someone is always doing more cleaning than everyone else.
For Susannah Begbie, it's the perfect intro into her debut novel, The Deed.
"Everyone has a family. So this book is relevant to everyone," she says.
The Deed tells the story of a family divided by money, childhood trauma, unforgiven wrongs and, now, death.
Tom Edwards has left his $20 million property to his four children, but there's one condition - they have to build him a coffin from scratch by the end of the week, or they lose everything.
The children are, as you might imagine, less than thrilled by this dying caveat.
Once a sibling, always a sibling
The book plays on common themes in Australian communities; disappointing children, the pursuit of wealth, balancing work and family life, and the loss of loved ones.
All of Tom Edwards' kids have their own battles they're facing, which are developed throughout the story. And like all siblings, they are easily triggered by each other's faults and failings.
Begbie said the interplay between the adult children would resonate with all siblings.
"It takes time to build a character, it takes time to get to know them. As I got to know them more and more, I realised that if Christine said something odd or David did something odd, it would affect the other siblings," she says.
"They're not based on people I know, but they're a combination of observing sibling relationships in families, at work, and being a sibling myself.
"All these things come out of the question, 'Why did you do that? What was your motivation for that'?"
And, of course, the whole sibling drama is set up by their father's demand for a family-built coffin. While it might seem like a left-field workshop project, it's actually a lot more popular than some might think.
For Begbie, it's the key to the whole saga.
"It's not uncommon for family to build their loved ones' coffins, it surprised me actually how often it happens," she said.
"But the thing that really grabbed me was the idea of a father ordering his children to build him a coffin out of bitterness instead of out of love."
Land of golden paddocks and green tractors
The whole story is set in the depths of country Australia with all its quirks and charms, like everyone knowing who you took to the movies last Friday, and someone offering to drive home your prize-winning bull.
For Begbie, it was a dive back into an intensely familiar and nostalgic landscape. She grew up on a farm outside of Canberra, and spent much of her adult life working in rural towns across the country.
She said writing the novel was a chance to submerge herself in country Australia.
"I loved writing in that landscape, which is the landscape of my childhood," she said.
"It's just a deep pleasure to spend time thinking about and occupying a country area.
"I hope the setting can show a glimpse into the incredible place that is rural Australia."
And for her home community in Canberra, she's just hoping people enjoy reading it as much as she loved writing it.
"I just hope people have a lot of fun with it! I think the Canberra population are readers, and i think they are the type of people who would really enjoy a book like this," she said.
The Deed will be released May 1.
