by Patrick deWitt. An amuse bouche. Enough to whet the palate for more of his work. Delightful writing style. Wit. Irony. Colorful cast of characters. From the Upper East Side to Paris. What could be better on a brisk Autumn afternoon?

Frances and her husband Franklin are quite the couple. In more ways than one. They are horrible parents to their son Malcolm, ignoring him at best and at worst abandoning him at boarding school, even during the holidays.

Until Frank dies. Then Frances jumps to being a little too close to her new ‘pal’. The aforementioned neglected son Malcolm. It’s of course a problem for Susan, Malcolm’s betrothed. She plays second fiddle to Mother and the Cat, Little Frank. Mother-Son-Cat are quite a formidable and dysfunctional if unbreakable trio. Sounds a little creepy and crazy? Maybe. But a fun read nonetheless.

deWitt’s novel The Sisters Brothers was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2011. It has been adapted to a movie released in 2018.