Review: French Exit

French Exit by Patrick DeWitt
Genre: Literary Fiction
Length: 256 pages
Publication Date: 27 August 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Source: ARC via NetGalley
 
Stars:  4 out of 5
 
Link: AMAZON (UK)

ABOUT FRENCH EXIT:
 
Frances Price – tart widow, possessive mother and Upper East Side force of nature – is in dire straits, beset by scandal. Her adult son Malcolm is no help, mired in a permanent state of arrested development. And then there's their cat, Small Frank, who Frances believes houses the spirit of her late husband, an infamously immoral lawyer whose gruesome tabloid death rendered them social outcasts.
 
To put their troubles behind them, the trio cut their losses and head for the exit. Their beloved Paris becomes the backdrop for a giddy drive to self-destruction, helped along by a cast of singularly curious characters: a bashful private investigator, an aimless psychic and Mme. Reynard, friendly American expat and aggressive houseguest.
 
Brimming with pathos, warmth and wit, French Exit is a one-of-a-kind tragedy of manners, a riotous send-up of high society and a moving story of mothers and sons.

My Review:

I was very keen to read French Exit. I loved DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers (about to be released as a film starring John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous brothers).
 
Noun. French exit (plural French exits) (offensive) A hasty exit made without saying farewells to anybody.
 
DeWitt has a perfect turn of phrase. And the story is pure farce, it was a joy to read. However, it's quite possible I didn't actually like any of the characters, as the story shines a light on human behaviour at its most honest, but that didn't stop me enjoying the page-turner.  The ending was the perfect embodiment of the title - a French Exit.
 
A refreshing and enjoyable read.
 
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
 
Thank you so much the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary electronic copy in return for an honest review.