Marina Lewycka: VARIOUS PETS ALIVE & DEAD Z49

Marcus and Doro were part of a commune from the late 1960s until the early 1990s: lentils, free love, spliffs, radical politics, cheesecloth blouses, sex, housework and cooking rotas, crochet, allotments. Their children have grown up differently from them: primary school teacher Clara craves order and clean bathrooms ; son Serge is pretending he is still doing a doctorate at Cambridge ; while third child Oolie Anna, who has Downs Syndrome, is desperate to escape home and live on her own. Once the truth starts breaking through, who knows what further secrets will be revealed about any of them? Risible tale of modern values, featuring hamsters, cockroaches, poodles, a chicken and multiplying rabbits.