Patrick DeWitt’s Undermajordomo Minor is part fairytale, part black comedy, part anarchy — what you might expect if the Brothers Grimm, the Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson and Terry Gilliam collaborated.
Our guide through the novel is Lucien Minor, known as Lucy. Born in a remote village, Lucy leaves his equally remote parents to take up a job as “undermajordomo” at Castle Von Aux. This is a novel populated by wildly improbable characters — daring thieves, bewitching maidens, handsome soldiers and Baron Von Aux, who likes to snack on vermin and write letters to his estranged wife. Intrigues, romances and mysteries abound. If you enjoyed DeWitt’s Booker shortlisted The Sisters Brothers you will be equally charmed by his latest offering. DeWitt has a sharp ear for comic dialogue and Undermajordomo Minor is an incredibly funny novel that demands to be read in one sitting.