All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews

All My Puny Sorrows

Miriam Toews

Elfrieda is beloved, talented, beautiful and she just wants to die. Told by Elf's younger sister, this is a poignant, often bitingly funny and never sentimental exploration of the effects of frail mental health. Highly recommended.

Extract
Then we sang a hymn, 'From Whom All Blessings Flow'. Mennonites like to sing in tense situations. It's one option if you're not allowed to scream or go nuts emptying a magazine into a crowded plaza.
Parallels
  • We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
  • Nothing Holds Back the Night by Delphine de Vigan
  • Cold Sea Stories by Pawel Huelle