Shelley Klein

'THE BEST SORT OF BRITISH COMIC WRITING . . . TRUTHFUL, TENDER AND VERY FUNNY' PANDORA SYKES An irresistible comic novel centred on the various crises of middle-aged Alison, for fans of Nina Stibbe and Maria SempleWhen the full catalogue of miseries that can be visited on a middle-aged woman are happening all at once to Alison Solomon, everybody tells her she should talk to someone. But it's hard, really hard, to find the right therapist. Meanwhile, there's a ghostly woman hanging around outside her house and - is that a rat in the kitchen? In My Husband and Other Rats, we follow Alison as she navigates a series of scrapes, crises and therapists, with the help of a hilarious cast of characters including an artisanal rat catcher, a useless cheating husband, long-lost family and wonderfully acerbic friends. 'THERE WON'T BE A FUNNIER BOOK IN 2026' CRESSIDA CONNOLLY 'BRINGS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR TO THE MID-LIFE CRISIS' JULIA SAMUEL

'A charming account of a daughter, a house and a fastidious dad' Sunday Times Shelley Klein grew up in the Scottish Borders, in a house designed on a modernist open-plan grid. With colourful glass panels set against a forest of trees, it was like living in a work of art. Her father, Bernat Klein, was a textile designer whose pioneering colours and textures were a major contribution to 1960s and 70s style. Thirty years on, Shelley moves back home to care for her father, now in his eighties: the house has not changed and neither has his uncompromising vision - or his distinctive way of looking at the world. Told with great tenderness and humour, this is Shelley's account of looking after an adored yet maddening parent and a piercing portrait of the grief that followed his death. 'A sad, funny, utterly fascinating book about families, home and how to say goodbye' Mark Haddon 'Original, moving and bracingly honest... often hilarious' Blake Morrison, Guardian 'It is strange that grief should produce such a life-affirming book, but it has. Read it for the solace it contains, or for its captivating descriptions. Either way, it's a delight' Telegraph