Various Pets Alive and Dead
Various Pets Alive and Dead by Marina Lewycka, published by Fig Tree in 2012, is a humorous exploration of family dynamics and modern values. This edition spans 367 pages and is presented in English. The narrative centers on the lives of Doro and Marcus, former members of a left-wing commune, who grapple with their son Serge’s unconventional choices, contrasting sharply with their own ideals. As their children navigate their distinct paths, the story unfolds with a blend of irony and wit, featuring an array of quirky pets that add to the comedic elements.
Readers will find a rich tapestry of characters, including a primary schoolteacher seeking order, a son concealing his true career, and a daughter with Downs Syndrome yearning for independence. Set against the backdrop of Doncaster and London, the book delves into themes of family expectations and societal norms, all while maintaining a lighthearted tone. Lewycka’s unique storytelling captures the absurdities of modern life, making it a reflective yet entertaining read.
Official synopsis Publisher
Most normal parents, you’d think, would be pleased to have a son not yet thirty and earning ninety grand a year. But not Doro and Marcus. They’d consider it the ultimate betrayal of his ideals, meaning their ideals, because Serge doesn’t claim to have any ideals apart from a vague general sense of goodwill towards mankind. And womankind. Especially Maroushka.
Marcus and Doro were part of a left wing commune from the late 1960s until the early 1990s- lentils, free love, spliffs, Left politics, cheesecloth blouses, sex, housework and cooking rotas, crochet, allotments. Their children have grown up rather different from them- primary schoolteacher Clara craves order and clean bathrooms, son Serge is pretending to his parents that he is still doing a Maths PhD at Cambridge, while in fact working making loadsamoney in the City; third child Oolie Anna, who has Downs Syndrome, is desperate to escape home and live on her own. Set half in Doncaster, half in London, this is a very funny riff on modern values, featuring hamsters, cockroaches, poodles, a Chicken and multiplying rabbits, told by Marina Lewycka in her unique and brilliant combination of irony, farce and wit.
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