A Great American Novel -- from the author of Borrowed Finery. 'A masterpiece.' Observer 'Inarguably great. Desperate Characters soars above every other work of American realist fiction since the Second World War.' JONATHAN FRANZEN Otto and Sophie Bentwood live childless in a renovated Brooklyn brownstone. The complete works of Goethe line their bookshelf, their stainless steel kitchen is newly installed, and their Mercedes is parked outside. After Sophie is bitten on the hand while trying to feed a half-starved neighbourhood cat, a series of small and ominous disasters begin to plague their...

While his over-protective parents are away on a trip, Lewis meets and makes a connection with an old Spanish shoemaker who teaches him that he can think for himself.

Eight-year-old Maurice's struggle to protect his bedroom full of treasured "junk" from unsympathetic parents undergoes a transformation when the family moves to the country.