The House with Only an Attic and a Basement - Kathryn Maris, Penguin Books Ltd

A neurotically funny collection that looks under the hood of adult lifeAs in life, she was a pain in the arsein death. He could hear her roaringall the way from the fifth circle,'Why the hell do you get to be in abetter circle than me, I'm wrathfulbecause of your lust -'Deploying a chorus of voices both ancient and modern to explore a world of sexual politics and singles cruises, dysfunctional families and psychoanalysis, awkward cohabitations and self-help guides for the would-be Dream Girl, this is the third collection from a unique poetic talent: observant, obsessive and wickedly witty. 'The funniest book I've read in years.Maris flexes her wit and wisdom to create a litany of nervous characters in a style that's mordant, sarcastic, satiric yet often compassionate . . .a poet of risk, she is dark, deep and often laugh out loud'DALJIT NAGRA'Her dry, droll, clinically deadpan manner is all her own, but her themes - obscure hurts, implacable dissatisfactions, hardwired propensity for victimhood and suffering - reflect the experience of humanity at large'CHRISTOPHER REID