After thoroughly enjoying Haddon’s extraordinary Curious Incident I was very interested to read this, partly to see how he would write when not through the eyes of an autistic boy. His style remains, but points of view drift between several well-written members of a modern family and their respective spots of bother. Each character is meticulously crafted (like Jamie and Katie, brother and sister whose traits and relationship woes come alive on the page), while their problems are both familiar and fresh (lost loves, who to marry, whether to let on about your mother’s affair). Some parts are cringeworthy (in a good way), like George (a 57 year-old who is constantly worried about death) and his scissor incident and the story manages great humour through character interactions and their thoughts - culminating in a very memorable scene where all the characters and loose ends come together to satisfy.

If you liked Curious Incident then you should certainly like this, even if it is an entirely different animal. Give it a go, it’s a pleasure to read.

You can purchase the book here.