“It does actually take some talent to distinguish between a teenage crush on a pop star and an obsession borne out of mental illness, but Jo Brand pulls it off. The book is littered with minor endearing characters: Gina’s weary husband Keith; Marie, the family doctor who is secretly in love with him and Mark, Alice’s only close friend. Their three stories become interlinked with a more than satisfactory conclusion. The last line moved me to tears.” - Daily Express (UK)
“The farce always blends with sorrow, and the sense of cartoon families everywhere makes for touching sitcom drama.” - Booklist
“interesting, and quirky, and worth your time” - http://www.advicesistersblog.blogspot.com
“Seriously Funny.” - The Mirror (UK) Book of the Week
“Funny, poignant and sad.” - The Sun (UK)
From the Back Cover
A genuinely funny and original novel about mental illness, growing up, and celebrity obsession from much-loved comedienne Jo Brand.
Little Alice's family, tucked away in a cottage in the deepest part of Herefordshire, England, is more than a bit weird. Her mother, Gina, is obsessed with the weatherman on the local news, and when she climbs onto the roof—naked—with her daughter's pet guinea pig in her arms, she is whisked off to the local psychiatric hospital posthaste. Keith, Alice's father, tries to keep calm, but his patience is being severely tested by his in-laws, whose disturbed behavior terrifies the community. Alice is convinced she needs five personalities to cope because a mother-daughter reconciliation seems damned near impossible. And at this point, the stage may be set for even more heartbreak than Alice can imagine.
About the Author
A former psychiatric nurse, stand-up comic Jo Brand has a large following throughout the UK. Her TV series Through the Cakehole and All the Way to Worcester met with great acclaim, and in 2003 she was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. She is currently cowriting and starring in the BBC Four sitcom Getting On. Brand has written three novels and two humor books, is married with two children, and lives in South London.
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