by Mark Haddon
First published 2006
Sixty-one-year-old George Hall is looking forward to a quiet retirement, until his daughter's impending wedding sends his family into chaos. As his daughter grapples with doubts about her fiancé, George's wife has a secret affair, and his son struggles with his own relationship. Unnoticed by his family, George discovers a troubling medical issue and begins to quietly lose his grip on reality. Through the family's drama, George's dignified descent into madness forms the heart of this bittersweet, darkly comic portrait of modern family life.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: descent-into-madness, family-drama
Setting: Peterborough
368 pages · Paperback · Vintage
Content warnings: mental-illness