French Exit

A comedy/tragedy of manners. The new novel from the Man Booker-short-listed author of The Sisters Brothers.

Frances Price - tart widow, possessive mother and Upper East Side force of nature - is in dire straits, beset by scandal. Her adult son, Malcolm, is no help, mired in a permanent state of arrested development. And then there's their cat, whom Frances believes houses the spirit of her late husband, an infamously immoral lawyer whose gruesome tabloid death rendered them social outcasts.

To put their troubles behind them, the trio cut their losses and head for the exit. Their beloved Paris becomes the backdrop for a giddy drive to self-destruction, helped along by a cast of singularly curious characters: a bashful private investigator, an aimless psychic and Mme Reynard, friendly American expat and aggressive houseguest.

Brimming with pathos, warmth and wit, French Exit is a one-of-a-kind tragedy of manners, a riotous send-up of high society and a moving story of mothers and sons.

©2018 Patrick de Witt (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Wonderful book spoiled by dreadful performance

Patrick Dewitt’s novel is quirky, touching and original; it will touch your heart and make you laugh. The plot is dotted with original twists and every character is a surprise. However, the effect all of this is significantly undermined by a very poor Audible performance. The narrator overacts all the minor parts and resorts to an uniformly unpleasant rasp for the male characters. She also tends to shout. I thought it was a shame that such a fine novel could be treated so badly. Stick to a print version.