Our Tiny, Useless Hearts

This is a modern Australian take on the classic bedroom farce.
 
Janice, a divorced woman in her late thirties, is the narrator. Her sister Caroline has just gone ballistic and destroyed her husband’s suits, with special focus on the trouser crotch, as he leaves for Noosa with new love Martha. Caroline relents and takes off after them, leaving Janice in charge of her two daughters, Mercedes and Paris. Soon on the scene are the couple next door, Lesley and Craig, the typically insufferable macho male, who doesn’t understand why a woman would reject his charms.
 
Enter stage right (or left) Alec, Janice’s ex, who becomes the anchor in the chaos as it is full-steam ahead for nudity, revolving bedroom doors, trellis-climbing, cupboards hiding, doorbells ringing at inappropriate moments, misunderstandings and cross purposes, a lot of self-absorbed adults and a couple of wise precocious kids who, of course, will let the cat out of the bag.
 
It’s all pretty manic with acerbic witty dialogue, fun-poking at the aspirations or disillusions of the X Generation and if you know Melbourne at all, you will enjoy the references to places - and maybe even people! - you recognise.
 
It’s just the sort of book to read when you’re tired of too many other serious books and need a change of pace. The first third is probably the best with the most laugh-out-loud moments, but even good things can go on just a wee bit too long and it does lose momentum when it allows “serious” to bubble up into the narrative.
 
Still, the skillful and savage exuberance can’t be faulted. Toni Jordan has displayed great versatility as a writer in being able to write something wacky like this as well as her magnificent “Nine Days” (my review here).

Good striking cover as well on the Australian edition. Not quite sure of the symbolism of the umbrella on the UK edition - it rains in Melbourne too.

Four stars.
 
Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Booktopia
 

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