Description

The new novel from the Man Booker-shortlisted author of The Sisters Brothers

‘DeWitt is in possession of a fresh, lively voice that surprises at every turn’ Kate Atkinson, author of Transcription

‘My favourite book of his yet … Dizzyingly good … A triumph from a writer truly in the zone’ Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette

‘French Exit made me so happy … Brilliant, addictive, funny and wise’ Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Less

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.

Publisher Review

My favourite book of his yet. The dialogue is dizzyingly good, the world so weird and fresh. A triumph from a writer truly in the zone -- Maria Semple, author of the bestselling 'Where'd You Go, Bernadette' French Exit made me so happy - I feel as if I have downed a third martini, stayed up past sunrise, and still woken up refreshed. Brilliant, addictive, funny and wise, DeWitt's latest has enough charm to last you long after you've put it down, which is what so many of us need in a book. I think you need it, too -- Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'Less' A thrilling madcap caper anchored by memorable characters, emotional depth and forensically sharp writing -- Hannah Rothschild, author of 'The Improbability of Love' The first time I read French Exit, I raced through, impatient to know the fates of its characters. Then I turned back to page one to enjoy Patrick deWitt's understated satire and casually brutal wit -- Nell Zink, author of 'Mislaid' and 'The Wallcreeper' Disarmingly funny ... DeWitt can inject so much exposition with a single sentence that the reader seldom feels the need for elaboration ... True to the theatrical form deWitt appears to have been inspired by, French Exit includes multiple layers of meaning and social commentary, wrapped up in a whip-smart package that cracks with wit and wordplay * Quill and Quire * Patrick deWitt has taken all of what I usually expect and want from a story, misted it in Chanel No 5, and set to it an immeasurably classy lighter. Love it -- Natasha Pulley, bestselling author of 'The Watchmaker of Filigree Street' DeWitt is a true original, conjuring up dark and hilarious images * The Times * Patrick deWitt is an artful ventriloquist: for each of his three novels he has deployed a distinctive and utterly beguiling voice * Metro * DeWittland is a place of exaggerated, creeping horror; a place populated by unfeeling characters who engage in bouts of baroque violence; above all a place suffused with grim humour. It's also a place in which the limits of genre are explored * Daily Telegraph *