Emotionally Weird - by Kate Atkinson (Paperback)

About the Book

From the bestselling author of "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" comes the story of a mother and daughter who take refuge in a moldering house off the coast of Scotland and who soon notice that strange things are starting to happen.

Book Synopsis

Emotionally Weird is a thoroughly original and hilarious novel about mothers, daughters, and love, by the author of Behind the Scenes at the Museum

On a weather-beaten island off the coast of Scotland, Effie and her mother, Nora, take refuge in the large, mouldering house of their ancestors and tell each other stories. Nora, at first, recounts nothing that Effie really wants to hear--like who her real father was. Effie tells various versions of her life at college, where in fact she lives in a lethargic relationship with Bob, a student who never goes to lectures, seldom gets out of bed, and to whom Klingons are as real as Spaniards and Germans.

But as mother and daughter spin their tales, strange things are happening around them. Is Effie being followed? Is someone killing the old people? And where is the mysterious yellow dog?

In this brilliant comic narrative, Emotionally Weird, which explores the nonsensical power of language and meaning, Kate Atkinson has created another magical masterpiece.

Review Quotes

"A sparkling comic meditation on how authors choose to tell their stories." --Entertainment Weekly (grade: A-)

"...Reads like the fictional equivalent of a magic trick; you might wonder how she pulls it off, but you're certain to marvel at the results." --Harper's Bazaar

"A full-bore, old-fashioned yarn--the kind that keeps you turning pages, hurrying toward the denouement long after you've told yourself you're going to bed." --The Washington Post Book World

"Beautifully written...brimming with quirky characters and original storytelling.... Kate Atkinson has struck gold with this unique offering." --Time Out

"Atkinson has found her best subject...a truly funny comic novel." --Newsday

About the Author

Kate Atkinson is the internationally bestselling author of the novels Life After Life, Human Croquet, Case Histories, One Good Turn, the short-story collection, Not the End of the World, and the Jackson Brodie crime series, which was adapted into the BBC TV show Case Histories. She lives in Edinburgh, UK.