Deborah Moggach – The Carer

Siblings in their sixties, Robert and Phoebe have spent their lives competing for the attention of their brilliant physicist father, James. But now he is frail, widowed, and the time has come to hire a full-time carer. Mandy enters their lives. But as James regales his family with tales of Mandy’s virtues, their shopping trips and the shared pleasure of their journeys to garden centres, Phoebe and Robert sense something is amiss. Then something extraordinary happens which throws everything into new relief, changing all the stories of their childhood – and the father – that they thought they knew so well.

The Carer is a funny and witty read at the same time as it’s a deep and exploratory novel about parent-child relationships and ageing. Middle class absurdity, fun challenges, and a classic societal dilemma comes into fruition in this family drama that is played out over comedic passages and brilliant prose.

Deborah Moggach is a fantastic writer who delivers endearing humour through a penetrating eye. The bestselling author of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Tulip Fever, delivers a deliciously funny, poignant and wry novel, full of surprising twists and turns. Many layered and multifarious, it’s a pacy read that keeps you engaged long after the final page.