Emotionally Weird

On a weather-beaten island off the coast of Scotland, Effie and her mother, Nora, take refuge in a large, moldering house of their ancestors and tell each other stories. Effie tells various versions of her life at college where she lives with Bob, a lethargic student who seldom leaves his bed, and to whom Klingons are as real as Spaniards and Germans. But as mother and daughter spin their tales, strange things begin to happen around them. In a brilliant comic narrative which explores the nonsensical power of language and meaning, Kate Atkinson has created a magical masterpiece.