Loading... Please wait...

Free UK delivery to stores and on orders over £20.00

Add A Spot of Bother Paperback book by  to your basket Add A Spot of Bother Paperback book by  to your wishlist
A Spot of Bother Paperback book by

A Spot of Bother

by Mark Haddon

(based on 1 review)
£5.99 £7.99
You save £2.00 (25%)
  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK - usually dispatches within 24 hours IN STOCK - usually dispatches within 24 hours
  • Free UK delivery to your local store Free UK delivery to your local store
  • Open this book

Would you prefer a different copy or edition?

A Spot of Bother

George Hall doesn't understand the modern obsession with talking about everything. 'The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely.' Some things in life, however, cannot be ignored. At fifty-seven, George is settling down to a comfortable retirement, building a shed in his garden, reading historical novels, listening to a bit of light jazz. Then Katie, his tempestuous daughter, announces that she is getting remarried, to Ray. Her family is not pleased - as her brother Jamie observes, Ray has 'strangler's hands'. Katie can't decide if she loves Ray, or loves the wonderful way he has with her son Jacob, and her mother Jean is a bit put out by all the planning and arguing the wedding has occasioned, which get in the way of her quite fulfilling late-life affair with one of her husband's former colleagues. And the tidy and pleasant life Jamie has created crumbles when he fails to invite his lover, Tony, to the dreaded nuptials. Unnoticed in the uproar, George discovers a sinister lesion on his hip, and quietly begins to lose his mind. The way these damaged people fall apart - and come together - as a family is the true subject of Mark Haddon's disturbing yet very funny portrait of a dignified man trying to go insane politely.

Top reviews

  • 4 out of 5
    Families. Who'd have 'em?

    George is having a bad week. His wife's having an affair, his daughter is marrying a man he doesn't understand, and slightly scares him, his son is very likely gay, and cancer now looks inevitable. Those 'funny turns' are happening with increasing frequency. Haddon's follow-up to 'Curious Incident' is a tragi-comic family farce, highly enjoyable, with well-rounded characters and numerous laugh-out-loud moments. Best paperback I read in 2007.

    Review by Paul Thornton on 14:04, 04 Apr 2008

    Do you agree? Yes No (Agreements: 0, Disagreements: 0)

What's your view? Write a review for A Spot of Bother

ISBN

9780099506928

Published
June 7th 2007 by Vintage
Category
Modern Fiction
Number of pages
512
County of origin
UNITED KINGDOM
Dimensions
195 x 130

Powered by Borders' Spookily Accurate Book SuggestionsIf you enjoyed 'A Spot of Bother', you may also like these:

The Bell Jar a Paperback book  by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jarby Sylvia Plath

  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK
  • £5.24 £6.99
    You save £1.75 (25%)
  • Add The Bell Jar to your basket
  • Add The Bell Jar to your wishlist
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time a Paperback book  by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeby Mark Haddon

  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK
  • £5.99 £7.99
    You save £2.00 (25%)
  • Add The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time to your basket
  • Add The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time to your wishlist
Vernon God Little a Paperback book  by DBC Pierre

Vernon God Littleby DBC Pierre

  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK
  • £5.99 £7.99
    You save £2.00 (25%)
  • Add Vernon God Little to your basket
  • Add Vernon God Little to your wishlist
A Long Way Down a Paperback book  by Nick Hornby

A Long Way Downby Nick Hornby

  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK
  • £5.99 £7.99
    You save £2.00 (25%)
  • Add A Long Way Down to your basket
  • Add A Long Way Down to your wishlist
We Need to Talk About Kevin a Paperback book  by Lionel Shriver

We Need to Talk About Kevinby Lionel Shriver

  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK
  • £5.99 £7.99
    You save £2.00 (25%)
  • Add We Need to Talk About Kevin to your basket
  • Add We Need to Talk About Kevin to your wishlist
Case Histories a Paperback book  by Kate Atkinson

Case Historiesby Kate Atkinson

  • Paperback book Paperback book
  • IN STOCK
  • £5.99 £7.99
    You save £2.00 (25%)
  • Add Case Histories to your basket
  • Add Case Histories to your wishlist