Description
'Deeply funny and knowing' MEG WOLITZER
'Witty, moving' ANN NAPOLITANO
'Poignant, funny and brilliantly told' POSY SIMMONDS
An often hilarious, surprisingly moving portrait of a long-married couple, seen through the eyes of their wickedly observant daughter – for fans of A Man Called Ove and The Royal Tenenbaums.
Miranda’s parents live in a dilapidated house in rural France that they share with two llamas, eight ducks, five chickens, two cats, and a freezer full of food dating back to 1983.
Miranda’s father is a retired professor of philosophy who never loses an argument. Her mother likes to bring conversation back to the War, although she was born after it ended. Married for fifty years, they are uncommonly set in their ways. Miranda plays the role of translator when she visits, communicating the desires or complaints of one parent to the other and then venting her frustration to her sister and her daughter.
A wry, propulsive, exquisitely observed story of a singularly eccentric family and the sibling rivalry, generational divides, and long-buried secrets that shape them. This is an extraordinary debut novel from a seasoned playwright with a flair for dialogue and, in the end, immense empathy.
‘Hilarious and heartbreaking. Barnes’s dialogue is pitch-perfect, and her characters dance off the page and straight into your heart’ Monica Ali, author of Love Marriage
‘Camilla Barnes deftly deciphers the secret language of one family, often with deeply funny and knowing results. I loved spending time in the very specific, complicated and memorable world of this novel’ Meg Wolitzer, author of The Wife
‘I love nothing more than reading about eccentric families, and the family in The Usual Desire to Kill is just that. Miranda and her sister work to uncover the true story of their parents' marriage, only to have their brilliant, quirky mother and father deflect them at every turn. Barnes has written a witty, moving novel about characters who, even when they seem incapable of speaking honestly, are worth listening to nonetheless’ Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful
‘An account of two ageing, secretive, disputatious and thoroughly maddening parents – poignant, funny and brilliantly told through gritted teeth’ Posy Simmonds, author of Cassandra Darke
Product Details
Writer: Barnes, Camilla
Release Date: 2025-04-02
FOC Date: 2025-02-26
Page Count: 256
All comics ship bagged and boarded.
SKU: 9781398535190
Barcode: 9781398535190
NZ Best Price.
We price match + give Pop Perks.
1400+ 5 Star Reviews
Our reviews are independently verified by Judge.me
90-Day Returns (*1)
Return your items hassle free for a full refund. Items must be unopened/unread.
Similar To The Usual Desire to Kill:
Recently viewed
Shipping
No, we ship all over the great country of New Zealand. Shipping starts from $4.50 for most of Christchurch, $8.50 for NZ and $13 for Rural delivery and will be shown at checkout.
It depends on where you are. From the moment your order has been packed and processed by Pop Weasel it will take 3-4 business days to arrive.
Rural
Rural deliveries will add an extra 2-3 days.
Availability & Delivery
Please refer to the product page for specific delivery timeframes and estimates, such as Available From Supplier or a listed Release Date. These details come directly from our suppliers and can change frequently.
Once the item arrives at Pop Weasel, we’ll carefully pick, pack, and ship your order via your chosen delivery method.
All timeframes are estimates only and may vary.
Delivery details will be provided in a tracking information email.
We use NZ Post. Christchurch Deliveries maybe hand delivered.
Pop Weasel Guarantees
We always aim for make sure our customers love their orders, but if you do need to return an order, we’re happy to help. Just email us directly and we’ll take you through the process. Pop Weasel has a 90 day return guarantee for unused items. If your item has been opened get in contact and we will work with you to resolve any issues. Our terms exclude special order items which we deal with on a case by case basis.
Our Price Guarantee
* If you find a lower price on an in stock identical product, we will beat it by 5% and give you our famous Pop Perks.
Excludes special order, quotes, on account (credit and cash) purchases, stock liquidations and commercial quantities.
The same product must be available to you for delivery or collection and must be in-stock within New Zealand at the competitor. Includes GST and delivery charges. Price matches are limited to one per person per product.
About Pop Weasel
Pop Weasel has a team of 4 who all enjoy Pop Culture. We are based in Christchurch and enjoy spending time playing board games, reading and just hanging out.
We love reading and the story telling that goes into comics, graphic novels and manga inspired us to open a comic book store to help share that passion with others.
We sell online only allowing us to offer some of the best deals around. Pop Weasel is a comic bookshop based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Any other questions?
If we still haven't answered your question, you can contact us below and we will get back to you as soon as possible.