Five babies are blessed at birth by their grandmother and now, as she dies, she wants to release them of the blessing for each has rather back-fired on them. It’s a wacky scenario for a novel which is actually all about family, sibling rivalry and life. In their adult lives the kids have scattered and it’s a bit complicated getting them together in a hospital room in time to break the spell. All five are very different and present an interesting mirror on aspects of personality, often turning positive traits into the negative. A fascinating book.
Reviewed by Sarah Broadhurst Sarah Broadhurst spent her early working life in the book trade in both retail and wholesale until the arrival of children forced her to look for freelance work she could do from… More reviews by Sarah Broadhurst
About Born Weird
The Weirds have always been a little peculiar, but not one of them suspected that they'd been cursed by their grandmother. At the moment of their birth Annie Weird gave each of her five grandchildren a special power that she thought was a blessing. Richard, the oldest, always keeps safe; Abba always has hope; Lucy is never lost and Kent can beat anyone in a fight.
The Weirds have always been a little peculiar, but not one of them suspected that they'd been cursed by their grandmother. At the moment of their birth Annie Weird gave each of her five grandchildren a special power that she thought was a blessing. Richard, the oldest, always keeps safe; Abba always has hope; Lucy is never lost and Kent can beat anyone in a fight.
As for Angie, she always forgives, instantly. But over the years these blessings have proved to be curses and ruined their lives. Now Annie is dying and she has one last task for Angie, her favourite grandchild.
Angie has to gather her far-flung brothers and sisters and assemble them in her Grandmother's hospital room so that at the moment of her death, she can lift these blessings turned curses.
'I gobbled it up in two days. I absolutely loved it. Another fantastic premise, brilliant characters, witty dialogue, it was just so so good and I am once again jealous that I didn't come up with the idea. As soon as I finished it I missed the characters so I hope he hurries up and writes another one quickly.' CECELIA AHERN
'If you enjoy Wes Anderson films you'll find a character to love here.' EMERALD STREET
'Touching, witty, and with downright addictive prose.' HELLO
'Wild, wacky, wonderful. THE GLOBE & MAIL 'Kaufman has the enviable ability to zing his writing with humor. I often found myself laughing aloud at the Weirds' fractured reality and the silliness that ensues' THE STAR
'As a novelist he has set a certain unique course for himself, created a certain unique domain.' NATIONAL POST
Author
About Andrew Kaufman
Andrew Kaufman is the author of, All My Friends Are Superheroes, The Tiny Wife, and The Waterproof Bible. He was born in Wingham, Ontario, the birthplace of Alice Munro, making him the second-best writer from a town of 3000. His work has been published in 11 countries and translated into 9 languages. He is also an accomplished screenwriter and lives in Toronto with his wife and their 2 children.
The Weirds have always been a little peculiar, but not one of them suspected that they'd been cursed by their grandmother. At the moment of their birth Annie Weird gave each of her five grandchildren a special power that she thought was a blessing.
Born Weird features in the following genres: Family Drama, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, General Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Ebook. Not Available.
Born Weird was written by Andrew Kaufman and published by The Friday Project Limited an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Born Weird has 269 pages
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