Taking a break from all other books to read this. Loving it!
Wow. This was bold, baroque, dark and distressing. The blurb is quite deceptive, this is definitely NOT magical realism as it's usually understood, it's more about the hazy boundary between imagination and delusion. The tone is set by the little-known UK pet massacre of 1939 so proceed with caution but it's also riveting and heartbreaking and full of touching characters. I definitely needed the tea and biscuits for comfort!