Mark Haddon– A Spot of Bother
This is the second book from Mark Haddon. The first being "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time".
I don't know for sure, but I am going to guess that Mark Haddon has worked in geriatric care which he has used as background to this story. In "The Curious incident..." he drew on his experiences working with autistic children and it seems reasonable to s=assume the same here. That's not a criticism except that this geriatric story is not as charming or optimistic as his previous work.
In fact, I will go further. This is a well written book, superior in many ways to "The Curious Incident..." but it is not so much endearing as downright depressing. There is no escapism, just a unrelenting downward spiral into listlessness and depression, and that's for the reader! Unlike "The Curious Incident..." there was not a single laugh out loud moment. On top of that the characters are singularly irredeemable and unlikable, I would characterise them as the family nobody wants to meet or become.
Not recommended. Read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time".
368 pages