AN INTERNATIONAL No. 1 BESTSELLER Selected as a Washington Post Book of the Summer 'I absolutely adored it' NINA STIBBE From bestselling and award-winning author Patrick deWitt comes a novel about an ordinary man who thought life's surprises were behind him - until a chance encounter changed everything Bob Comet is a retired librarian passing his solitary days surrounded by books in a mint-colored house in Portland, Oregon. One morning on his daily walk he encounters a confused elderly woman lost in a market and returns her to the senior centre that is her home. Hoping to fill the void he's known since retiring, Bob begins volunteering at the center. Here, as a community of strange peers gathers around Bob, and following a brush with a painful complication from his past, the events of his life and the details of his character are revealed. Behind Bob Comet's straight man facade is the story of an unhappy child's runaway adventure during the last days of the Second World War, of true love won and stolen away, of the purpose and pride found in the librarian's vocation, and the pleasures of a life lived to the side of the masses.
Patrick deWitt Book order (chronological)
Patrick deWitt is celebrated for his distinctive voice and sharp wit. His narratives often delve into the lives of eccentric characters navigating unusual circumstances, characterized by dry humor and unexpected twists. With an astute eye for the absurd and a keen understanding of human nature, deWitt crafts memorable stories that draw readers in. His ability to blend dark themes with comedic elements makes for a truly unique reading experience.







French Exit
- 256 pages
- 9 hours of reading
Frances Price - tart widow, possessive mother, and Upper East Side force of nature - is in dire straits, beset by scandal and impending bankruptcy. Her adult son Malcolm is no help, mired in a permanent state of arrested development. And then there's the Price's aging cat, Small Frank, who Frances believes houses the spirit of her late husband, an infamously immoral litigator and world-class cad whose gruesome tabloid death rendered Frances and Malcolm social outcasts. Putting penury and pariahdom behind them, the family decides to cut their losses and head for the exit. One ocean voyage later, the curious trio land in their beloved Paris, the City of Light serving as a backdrop not for love or romance, but self-destruction and economic ruin - to riotous effect. A number of singular characters serve to round out the cast: a bashful private investigator, an aimless psychic proposing a seance, a doctor who makes house calls with his wine merchant in tow, and the inimitable Mme. Reynard, aggressive houseguest and dementedly friendly American expat. Brimming with pathos and wit, French Exit is a one-of-a-kind 'tragedy of manners,' a riotous send-up of high society, as well as a moving mother and son caper which only Patrick deWitt could conceive and execute
Ablutions
- 64 pages
- 3 hours of reading
Picture yourself as a bartender, sipping top-shelf whiskey and watching your customers descend into nightly oblivion. Your heart is broken by the world around you and, leaving the whisky aside, you hatch a devious, unthinkable plan of escape... Award-winning FellSwoop Theatre present Ablutions:a dark, modern drama, adapted from the novel by Man Booker shortlisted author, Patrick deWitt. A grimly funny tale from the sodden depths of the Los Angeles underworld, Ablutions blends a live soundtrack with detailed mime and deWitt’s heart-wrenching humour.
Undermajordomo Minor is the raucous, poignant and spectacularly enjoyable new masterpiece from the author of Man Booker Prize-shortlisted The Sisters Brothers.
Ablutions - skladem, lehce poškozený kus
- 172 pages
- 7 hours of reading
From the author of the Booker shortlisted Sisters Brothers - a dark, boozy and hilarious tale from the LA underworld.
""The Sisters Brothers" is dark, dark, and funny, both ha ha and strange, but it's a lot more, too, a lyrical meditation on work and love from a narrator who moves from thoughtful conviction to casual murder as seamlessly as this book flows over the page . . . A winner."--Tom Franklin, author of "Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter."