Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, have absolutely nothing to do with each other for years.
Upon the arrival of the thirtysomething Immigration Scam Young Female Thing who plans on usurping the memories of their long-dead mother, and embarking on a whirlwind relationship with their octogenarian father, squandering all his money in the process, the sisters join forces in an endearingly funny way.
As they deal with her ruthlessness, they realise they are facing a professional, complete with indulgent son, who supplies many moments of mirth in the story. The diabolic mental acuity of the Cruella de Vil is juxtaposed hilariously with the almost-oblivious devotion of their father to completing his tome about tractors in Ukranian; and in a fitting tribute to how she has rendered his - and their - world topsy-turvy, at the end of the story, the biggest family secret of all tumbles.
Winner of the Wodehouse Humour Fiction Award 2006, this novel will touch the heart of any estranged sibling pairing around; it proves, beyond all doubt, that adversity is what it takes to get a family's solidarity gears well-oiled again. The sheer infinitesimality of the feud between Nadezha and Vera is revealed, as they array forces against the young pretender to the throne; and at the end of the tale, as her husband arrives to bail them out of their misery, we are rewarded by a poignant scene of semi-reconciliation between all.
Funny, frightfully funny. It gets a 8.5 out of 10; not a 9, for it is in no way a groundbreaking work whether in style, plot device or idea flow, but a good read for that languid summer poolside deckchair.
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