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A wonderful comic novel from the bestselling author of 'Eats Shoots & Leaves'. Belinda Johansson is a woman frantic, overwhelmed by the demands of work and home. Having it all? Pah. Belinda doesn't want any of it. Deep in research for her magnum opus - a definitive account of the doppelganger in classic gothic fiction - she fails to notice the echoes of these ghoulish tales disturbingly close at hand. For not only is the cleaning lady taking over her life, but the identity of her husband, Stefan, is also in question. Is he a harmless geneticist from Sweden, or actually a cunning clone? Why is the cleaning lady's previous employer having a breakdown, and what on earth has the rat circus got to do with any of this?
Belinda Johansson finds her domestic and professional life unraveling as she begins to suspect that the gothic doppelganger tropes she studies are manifesting in her own reality. Overwhelmed by the pressures of modern life, Belinda attempts to focus on her research, only to be confronted by a series of bizarre occurrences involving her husband's identity and a suspicious cleaning lady. The narrative follows her descent into confusion and paranoia, utilizing a sharp, observational tone to highlight the absurdity of her situation. As the boundaries between her academic work and her personal life blur, Belinda must navigate a surreal landscape of clones, rat circuses, and identity crises.
This novel is characterized by its playful engagement with literary history and its sharp, satirical look at the stresses of contemporary life. The narrative style reflects the author's background in linguistics and humor, favoring witty dialogue and ironic situations over traditional suspense. Readers often note the book's lighthearted approach to the gothic genre, which serves to emphasize the absurdity of the protagonist's mounting domestic crises. The work functions as a comedic examination of how intellectual obsessions can distort one's perception of reality, resulting in a fast-paced and eccentric reading experience.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
2010-01-01
Publisher:
Harpercollins Pb
ISBN-10:
0007355262
ISBN-13:
9780007355266
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