Metro Mama Recommends: A Spot of Bother

I love stories about dysfunctional families—the Fischers of Six Feet Under; the Lamberts of Jonathon Franzen’s The Corrections. Mark Haddon’s latest novel, A Spot of Bother is another delicious tale of a modern family and all its foibles.

When recently retired George Hall discovers a lesion on his hip, he begins a descent into madness that’s exacerbated by the upcoming marriage of his daughter, Katie, to a man her family deems unsuitable. He’s further tormented by his discovery that his wife is having an affair with one of his former colleagues. George’s family have their own troubles: his son Jamie is dumped by lover Tony because he failed to invite him to Katie’s wedding; wife Jean juggles her exciting new lover with the increasing demands of a husband going mad and an upcoming wedding; Katie agonizes over whether not she loves her stable and supportive fiancée Ray or if she is just marrying him because he’s a good father to her son.

A Spot of Bother is darkly funny, quirky, and entertaining. It was hard to put down.

Mark Haddon also wrote the best-selling, award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. The highly original novel is narrated by Christopher, a teenager suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. Haddon has also written many children’s books.

Next review: Alice Munro’s latest The View From Castle Rock. So far, I’m lovin’ it.

Speaking of Alice Munro, I’m excited to see Away From Her, Sarah Polley’s adaptation of Munro’s short story The Bear Came Over the Mountain. Did anyone catch it at the film fest? Was it good?

What are some of your favourite films adapted from literature? Here’s a few of mine: Apocalypse Now, Romeo + Juliet (Baz Luhrmann), The Hours, The Sweet Hereafter, and, of course, the BBC Pride and Prejudice. What would you like to see adapted that hasn’t been already?